Notre Dame injury report: Starter on defense questionable vs. Navy

On3 imageby:Tyler Horka11/07/22

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Notre Dame might be without a defensive starter when the No. 20 Fighting Irish (6-3) take on Navy (3-6) this Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Head coach Marcus Freeman said Monday senior safety Brandon Joseph is questionable with a sprained ankle.

“I don’t know if he played any in the second half [vs. Clemson],” Freeman said. “I think he did punt return but didn’t play defensively. We’ll see how he progresses this week, but he’s got a good ankle sprain on him.”

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Joseph has played the most snaps (393) of any Notre Dame safety this season per Pro Football Focus. Second on the list is graduate student DJ Brown, who played 61 snaps vs. Clemson partly due to Joseph’s second-half absence. Brown has played 353 snaps this season and is in line for a hefty number against Navy if Joseph is not able to give it a go.

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The good news for the Fighting Irish is that Navy runs the triple-option offense, so a healthy back line of defense in the secondary is not of the utmost importance pertaining to the passing game. Navy quarterback Maasai Maynor, in for injured starter Tai Lavatai, only attempted five passes in Navy’s loss to Cincinnati last week. Xavier Arline got the start and attempted one throw.

This is a game that falls heavily on the shoulders of the Notre Dame front seven; defensive linemen like tackles Jayson Ademilola and Howard Cross III and ends like Justin Ademilola and Isaiah Foskey.

Still, safeties will be recruited to help in a complicated running game. Brown is an able body in that regard. He ranks third on the team with 36 total tackles. That’s more than Joseph’s 27. Graduate student safety Houston Griffith has 26. He could be called upon more than usual if Joseph is not an active participant. Xavier Watts (34) and Ramon Henderson (31) both played a lot vs. Clemson. They’re options.

As far as the Notre Dame linebackers go, senior linebacker JD Bertrand has to be chomping at the bit to stop the Navy ground game. He leads Notre Dame with 60 total tackles. Senior Jack Kiser ranks second with 37, but he only played seven snaps vs. Clemson. Freeman said he liked the way Bertrand and senior Marist Liufau were playing in two-linebacker looks. They phased Kiser out of the game plan.

Look for Bertrand to lead the way in total tackles again, as he has done in three of Notre Dame’s last four games. He had 9 tackles against Navy last season, second to only Kurt Hinish‘s 10.

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