Notre Dame’s defense preparing for Sugar Bowl without Rylie Mills
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Notre Dame is gearing up for one of its toughest challenges of the season as it prepares to face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
However, the Fighting Irish will be without star defensive lineman Rylie Mills, who will miss the remainder of the College Football Playoff due to a knee injury sustained against Indiana.
“We all feel badly for Rylie,” says Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden. “Rylie came back for all the right reasons and just had an immense year. Just an immense year on all accounts. His production, leadership, technique. . . So, number one, you feel badly for the young man. But our whole thing all year has been don’t flinch, next man up.”
Gabriel Rubio will make his first start for Notre Dame, and he’ll be next to Howard Cross III, who is no stranger to battling through injuries.
After suffering a high left ankle sprain against Florida State, Cross made his return against Indiana. Now with Mills sidelined, he understands the challenge ahead.
“Rylie was one of our best players,” Cross says. “Seeing him go down, as good as a friend he has been and a leader to everybody, it’s hard to watch. We just got to keep moving. Rylie was a big part of our defense, but we train the fact that when one goes down you have to be ready.”
Georgia will have Gunner Stockton at quarterback when the Bulldogs take on Notre Dame’s defense. While the Irish haven’t faced an opponent of Georgia’s caliber, they rank fourth nationally in passing yards allowed a game.
“That’s the challenge,” Golden says. “You can’t put all the focus on the wideouts or put all the focus on stopping the tight ends because the back will beat you. You try to take the back away, but then the tight end or wideout will beat you. It’s a great structure that they have.”
The defense aims to make a statement on Wednesday night. Kickoff is set for 8:45 p.m. EST on ESPN.
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