Notre Dame offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp will miss the College Football Playoff National Championship with a high ankle sprain he sustained in the Orange Bowl semifinal win over Penn State. Right guard Rocco Spindler is expected to play, but will have to recover during the week.
Knapp had a solid season after winning the starting left tackle job as a true freshman. The Roswell, Georgia, native started all 15 games for the Fighting Irish and did not allow a sack in his final nine games. Knapp was only the third true freshman offensive lineman to start for Notre Dame in a season opener.
When Knapp went down, senior Tosh Baker entered the lineup against the Nittany Lions and allowed five hurries and a sack of quarterback Riley Leonard on 61 snaps. Spindler also went out after 22 snaps and was replaced by Charles Jagusah, who is just now coming back after missing the entire regular season with a torn right pectoralis.
Running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to be fully healthy for the championship after playing against Penn State with a knee injury. Wide receiver Beaux Collins is working back from a calf strain and will be monitored in practice. In addition, Notre Dame has been dealing with a strain of the flu, but Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman does not expect it to factor into the game.
"Ohio State is probably dealing with it, too," Freeman said. "I think probably over half of our team has gotten it already, so I don't think it will have an impact on this week's game."
Potential options
Baker competed for the starting job out of camp, but offensive line coach Joe Rudolph opted to go with the talented and inexperienced Knapp. Previously, Notre Dame projected Jagusah to start at left tackle before his injury.
Jagusah entered the lineup for the first time all season at offensive guard when Spindler went down and played reasonably well. Freeman left open the option of Jagusah factoring into the tackle rotation, depending on how he practices this week. If not, Baker would be next in line to start.
"As far as the starting lineup, we'll do what's best for our program," Freeman said. "We've got to figure that out. We have a week of preparation to make sure we get the right guys to start this game and we'll see what that is in the next couple days."
Piling injuries
The Fighting Irish have been decimated by injuries over the season, especially in the trenches. Knapp and Spindler are the third and fourth offensive linemen to go down with serious injuries, joining Jagusah and center Ashton Craig. The defensive line has been similarly impacted, with sack leader Rylie Mills, senior Jordan Botelho and freshman Boubacar Traore all also suffered season-ending injuries.
Despite the losses, Notre Dame has continued to roll along. The Fighting Irish beat powerful trench squads Georgia and Penn State in the past two weeks to reach their first national championship since playing in the BCS title game in 2012. Ohio State will present a new challenge. The Buckeyes have won six straight matchups against the Fighting Irish dating back to 1995.
