The Fighting Irish play in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal against Georgia
Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered during the Fighting Irish’s win over Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff, coach Marcus Freeman announced Monday. Mills leads the team with 7.5 sacks and was among the most disruptive interior linemen in the nation.
Mills was injured in the third quarter of Notre Dame’s win on a sack of Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Mills went to the ground holding his right knee and limped to the sideline. He later tried to return to the game while wearing a brace but was unable to do so.
Senior Gabriel Rubio is the listed backup at defensive tackle. He has played in 29 games over the last three seasons. In 2024, he posted 14 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. Donovan Hinish played primary snaps at nose tackle when Cross went out and could also far into the competition.
Mills is only the latest key lineman to go down for Notre Dame in an injury-plagued season. Starting defensive end Jordan Botelho went down against Purdue, while defensive lineman Boubacar Traore went down against Louisville. On the offensive line, center Ashton Craig was lost for the season against Purdue and projected starting left tackle Charles Jagusah went out in the preseason. Star defensive tackle Howard Cross III missed most of November with an ankle injury, but has since moved back into the lineup in the CFP.
Despite the rash of injuries, Notre Dame has only continued to roll. The Fighting Irish held a 27-3 lead against Indiana with only two minutes remaining before garbage time touchdowns. The Hoosiers averaged only 2.3 yards per carry, while Notre Dame posted nearly 400 yards of total offense.
(7) Notre Dame now travels to face (2) Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in a battle of heavyweight powers. The Bulldogs have won all three previous matchups between these two teams, including wins by 23-17 and 20-19 in 2019 and 2017, respectively, under coach Kirby Smart. Smart also narrowly won a 24-21 decision against a Marcus Freeman-coordinated Cincinnati defense in the 2021 Peach Bowl.
