Notre Dame will be heading into Saturday’s clash with NC State without a lot of key contributors. The injury report released by Marcus Freeman reads more like a medical ward inventory. The Fighting Irish are navigating a brutal stretch of their schedule with the Trojans just around the corner, and losing multiple starters couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The injury list Freeman released hit like a ton of bricks, and Chuck Freeby laid it out on X in stark terms. His post read, “Notre Dame announces Devonta Smith (calf), Jaden Greathouse (thigh), and Will Black (concussion) are all out for this week’s game with NC State. Kicker Noah Burnette (hip) and tight end Cooper Flanagan (achilles) are questionable.” Five is not a humongous number of players to be dealing with injuries, but the concerning part is their departments. The injuries span offense, defense, and special teams, meaning every phase of the game will be impacted.
DeVonta Smith’s absence might be the toughest blow to the secondary, which has already been scrambling to stay healthy all season. The Alabama transfer and nickel cornerback originally injured his right calf during the Boise State game on October 4, when he left the field after just seven snaps.
“DeVonta Smith reaggravated his calf strain,” Freeman explained during his Monday press conference, confirming what Irish fans feared after watching Smith limp off against the Broncos. Smith has had a nightmarish season health-wise. He dealt with ankle and hamstring issues earlier this year and was also limited in the first five games. Freeman might lean more on Leonard Moore, who has also just returned with his own ankle injury. Sophomore Karson Hobbs might also take the field and contribute.
The Irish will be without wide receiver Jaden Greathouse, who has been battling a right thigh injury he suffered in practice before the Boise State game. Greathouse has been surprisingly underutilized this year. He has only got four catches for 73 yards in four games and has not found the end zone. Notre Dame is leaning more on Jordan Faison and transfer Malachi Fields. But still, Greathouse plays a great decoy to confuse the defense.
The special teams situation might be the most concerning. Kicker Noah Burnette is listed as questionable with a right hip injury that’s kept him out of multiple games already this season, and Freeman admitted the staff is still trying to find the right recovery formula. “He’s in a really good spot right now, but he was in a really good spot a couple weeks ago and then got injured again,” Freeman said, expressing frustration about Burnette’s recurring setbacks. But Marcus Freeman is going in with a different approach to solve the kicker dilemma.
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Freeman’s kicking game plan
Marcus Freeman will use a different plan heading into Saturday’s NC State showdown. Noah Burnette should be ready to go after missing two of Notre Dame’s first five games with a nagging hip injury. “Right now, Noah will be ready to go. We plan on Noah being our kicker,” Freeman said, but there is some subtext in how the Fighting Irish will be using Noah.
Even with Burnette available, freshman Erik Schmidt will still see the field for longer field goal attempts. “We already plan on Erik being our longer distance, depending on where our line will be. But Noah will be our kicker,” Freeman explained, making it clear the Irish are splitting duties based on distance.
This decision becomes important because of Noah’s recurring hip issues. Erik’s accuracy needs a lot of work, and he’s 0-1 in his attempt, but he still will be taking some live reps to get those jitters out. Freeman’s willingness to use Schmidt on longer attempts suggests they believe his leg strength gives Notre Dame the best chance from a distance, even if his accuracy needs work.