Marcus Freeman reveals why Howard Cross missed game versus BYU

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat BYU on Saturday without defensive lineman Howard Cross. The starting nose tackle was second on the team in tackles after four games with 23 and although he missed a game, he’s still second, tied up with JD Bertrand and DJ Brown.

Head coach Marcus Freeman revealed on Saturday why Cross unexpectedly missed the Week 6 game.

“He was going to test it out pre-game, he had a high ankle sprain and he practiced a little bit but he didn’t feel after warm-ups that he was going to be able to help us and the doctors didn’t think he was going to be able to help us,” Freeman said in his post-game press conference. “We had to have some other guys step up. Chris Smith is a guy that has done a really good job and we wanted to play him more.”

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“Gabe Rubio stepped up for Howard Cross,” Freeman added. “Some young guys will have to step up but that’s the beauty of this program, we’re pretty deep at defensive tackle.”

Since Cross was nearing a return ahead of the BYU game and even warmed up, he will most likely play in Week 7.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden previously praised Cross for his ability to make tackles despite his position on the interior of the line.

“Beats blocks, gets off blocks and knows how to finish,” Golden said. “He’s got strong hands. He can corral a running back and get him on the ground. The running back just doesn’t run through him. So, I think those are the things — he’s tenacious, strong hands, and doesn’t stay blocked for very long. He’s a competitor. He makes a lot of plays.”

Freeman, Irish nearing top-25 once again

Notre Dame is still not ranked, but after the 28-20 win over BYU, the Fighting Irish are getting closer.It was the first win versus a ranked opponent of head coach Marcus Freeman‘s career. The former defensive coordinator improved his record to 3-3 overall and he has a chance to pick up another for the win column in Week 7 versus a struggling Stanford squad.

Notre Dame received 13 votes in the Coaches Poll and 48 in the Associated Press Poll following the victory. The Irish would be ranked No. 34 in the Coaches Poll and No. 30 in the AP Poll. BYU fell out of both polls with its loss to the Irish.