Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman Gives Brutal Injury Upda...

By Matthew Couden

Contributing Writer

ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are seemingly on their way to the College Football Playoff bracket after a convincing win on Saturday. However, they'll have one more stop on their regular season schedule as they visit the Stanford Cardinal this week.

Stanford enters Saturday's matchup at 4-7 but is coming off a 31-10 victory over California this past weekend. Meanwhile, Notre Dame destroyed Syracuse 70-7, behind an impressive performance from their running back, Jeremiyah Love, among others.

Ahead of the impending Stanford matchup, head coach Marcus Freeman spoke to the media about unfortunate news regarding his roster. Two of Notre Dame's players are out for the Stanford game and any potential CFP matchups that the Fighting Irish play in.

Read more: Report: Penn State Set to Interview Surprising Coaching Candidate

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman

...

On Monday, unfortunate news arrived about Notre Dame linebackers Kyngstonn Villiamu-Asa and Chance Tucker. Both suffered injuries against Syracuse: KVA with a left knee injury and Tucker with a broken bone in his lower left leg.

Freeman's weekly press conference opened on a solemn note, with the head coach announcing that two players are out for the rest of the season. One of those could extend to a player ending his college football career and hopes of anything beyond.

"I want to start with the tough news with Chance Tucker and KVA Kingston, obviously having season-ending injuries," Freeman said, adding, "Obviously, Chance, this is his second one, so he'll have to decide if football's something he wants to continue to do."

"It's just tough, five years, he's been a valuable member of our team, and then King, he was playing at such a high level. It's just you know, you feel awful for him because he puts a lot into it," he told reporters, adding that KVA has a "bright future."

"His challenge is going to be one he has to face from the inside, but he's built the right way," Freeman said, noting that KVA has a "bright future."

While neither of these players started for Notre Dame, KVA ranked third with 48 sacks and also had three sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery for the Fighting Irish. Tucker appeared in a more limited role and is now facing a difficult decision regarding his future.

After their win over Syracuse, Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame program is 9-2 overall and sits at No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings. According to ESPN's projections, the Fighting Irish would open their CFP with a matchup at Oklahoma.

Read more: Clemson's Dabo Swinney Reacts to Bowl Eligibility After Furman Win

For more about Notre Dame and college football, visit Newsweek Sports.

Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines