Notre Dame’s secondary mirrors Michigan State’s defensive line. Both units keep getting thinner and thinner.
The 18th-ranked Irish lost another key player during Saturday’s 39-10 win over Nevada when cornerback Shaun Crawford suffered a torn Achilles tendon early in the game. The sophomore will miss the rest of the season, including this Saturday’s primetime, nationally televised game against No. 8 MSU (7:30 p.m., NBC).
“I think that everybody knows that when you lose a player like Crawford, a new guy comes in,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Sunday. “And they’re going to pick on them.”
Fellow sophomore Nick Coleman took over at corner for the Irish as Nevada passed for 201 yards Saturday, six days after Texas threw for 280 yards among its 517 yards of offense in against Notre Dame a 50-47 double-overtime win.