Marcus Freeman updates status of two Notre Dame defensive starters for Stanford game
Notre Dame might not have its most experienced cornerback vs. Stanford. Grad student TaRiq Bracy is “questionable” to play because of a hamstring injury suffered in the fourth quarter of the Irish’s win vs. BYU, head coach Marcus Freeman said Monday.
Bracy has a “Grade 1” hamstring pull, per Freeman. It happened on the final defensive possession against the Cougars when he went down in a non-contact situation in pursuit of wide receiver BYU Kody Epps on a 27-yard completion. He did not return for the final few plays. Freeman said Bracy was also under the weather over the weekend.
“I found out he had a virus, so he was probably a little bit dehydrated,” Freeman said. “He was playing a lot of plays running around there. They said it’s a Grade 1, not a bad pull. And he’s kind of freaky athletically, so I’m hoping he bounces back. We’ll see how he feels today. I saw him [Sunday]. He was confident, a little sore.”
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Bracy was briefly removed from the game earlier in the second half and received attention in the medical tent, but returned to action the next series.
Bracy has started all five games for Notre Dame and played 40 more snaps than any other Irish defensive player (296 total). He has 16 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and the team’s lone interception this season. He has allowed 18 catches for just 162 yards, per Pro Football Focus. He is primarily the slot corner, but has played outside at times as well.
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Freshman Jaden Mickey has been the primary slot backup to Bracy this year. Senior Cam Hart and freshman Benjamin Morrison have started the last three games outside, with junior Clarence Lewis coming off the bench.
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Elsewhere on the injury front, senior nose tackle Howard Cross III is expected to play vs. Stanford after missing the BYU game due to an ankle sprain, Freeman said. Cross was in uniform for pregame warmups and a game-time decision, but did not play.
“He tested it pregame,” Freeman said. “We just did not feel confident or the trainers feel confident he’d be able to execute what we needed him to do.”
Cross has 23 tackles – third most on the team – to go with 1.5 TFLs and 1 sack. He has started all four games he played.
