NEW ORLEANS — Notre Dame and Georgia football players received an extra day of rest, though it was certainly an uneasy one, when the Sugar Bowl was postponed by a day due to a nearby terrorist attack in New Orleans.
Perhaps that extra day will make a different for the Irish players fighting through injuries. Notre Dame football announced one hour prior to kickoff (4 p.m. EST on ESPN) that all players listed on its two-deep depth chart earlier this week would be available for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. That includes starting right guard Rocco Spindler, who was deemed questionable in the days prior to the game.
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Spindler missed the second half of the first round win over Indiana with a right ankle injury. He said earlier this week he would be ready to play. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound graduate senior Spindler started the previous 10 games at right guard. He also started 10 games at the position for the Irish. If Spindler’s ankle doesn’t hold up during the game, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph could opt to replace him with sophomores Charles Jagusah or Sam Pendleton.
Jagusah, who was expected to miss the entire season following a preseason camp injury to his pectoral muscle, hasn’t played in a game this season. But the Irish were high on the 6-7, 328-pound Jagusah heading into the season. He was expected to start at left tackle after doing so in the Sun Bowl at the end of last season. Pendleton (6-4, 310) replaced Spindler in the Indiana game and started seven games earlier this season at left guard.
The three other Notre Dame players listed as questionable earlier this week — freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (right knee), sophomore wide receiver KK Smith (collarbone) and freshman linebacker Bodie Kahoun (right lower leg) — weren’t listed on the depth chart, so an update on their status was not provided.
However, Viliamu-Asa and Smith were going through pregame warmups in uniform. Kahoun wasn’t dressed. Viliamu-Asa appeared to do less in warmups than Smith.
Viliamu-Asa was injured against Army after making his first career start. He totaled 29 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one pass breakup and two quarterback hurries in 11 games.
Smith suffered a collarbone injury in practice before Notre Dame played Army on Nov. 23. He caught three passes for 38 yards while playing in six games this season.
Kahoun went down against Army in the third game appearance of his career. He recorded his first and only tackle to date against Virginia on Nov. 16.
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Two players who haven’t been on Notre Dame’s depth chart for quite some time aren’t truly available to play either: senior defensive tackle Jason Onye and freshman quarterback CJ Carr. Onye stepped away from the team to deal with a “personal issue” after Notre Dame’s fifth’s game of the season against Louisville. Carr is working his way back from a right elbow injury. He said earlier this week he’s about 95% healthy.
Notre Dame lost five starters to season-ending injuries this year: cornerback Benjamin Morrison (hip), vyper Jordan Botelho (knee), center Ashton Craig (knee), vyper Boubacar Traore (knee) and defensive tackle Rylie Mills (knee).
Notre Dame previously declared many other players out for the season: walk-on CB Marty Auer (knee), walk-on DL Quentin Autry (shoulder), S Taebron Bennie-Powell (shoulder), walk-on CB Charles Du (shoulder), LB Kahanu Kia (knee), RB Gi’Bran Payne (knee), OL Styles Prescod (shoulder) and CB Chance Tucker (knee).
A few more players weren’t dressed for pregame warmups: OL Peter Jones, walk-on CB Isaiah Dunn,
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