Notre Dame football linebacker continues on road back to 'full go'

Notre Dame faces Penn State with key players like Jeremiyah Love and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa pushing through injuries for the big game.

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The Notre Dame football team has the biggest game for the program in decades on Thursday night. When they got to take on Penn State, they’ll be without several stars. They’ll also have several stars that aren’t quite 100% but expect to play, at least a few snaps.

Guys like Jeremiyah Love certainly have people worried. The Irish have been not totally forthcoming with how healthy he really is. The closest head coach Marcus Freeman has come was when he said that Love was “as healthy as possible” ahead of Georgia. It turns out that wasn’t all that healthy. While he’s practicing this week, his knee injury doesn’t look great.

While there was some expectation that Love would be able to play more than he did against Georgia, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has been one of those guys who wasn’t really expected to play. However, the week before the Sugar Bowl, talk surfaced that the linebacker would be able to contribute at least a little.

Notre Dame football linebacker getting back to action

KVA played 13 snaps in the Sugar Bowl, all as a pass rusher. He didn’t have much of an impact and according to PFF he didn’t grad out well. But considering the Sugar Bowl was his first action since the Army game (where he only got 6 snaps) it’s hardly surprising.

That Viliamu-Asa played at all is considered a big win for the program and for a defense that has been hamstrung with injuries, especially lately. 

This week, KVA still had a brace on his right knee. However, unlock Love, the brace didn’t seem to be bothering him that much. He seemed to be moving well at practice and was blowing blockers off the ball at a healthy clip.

It’s still unclear just how many snaps Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa  could log for the Notre Dame football team in the Orange Bowl against Penn State. But the talented true freshman (who logged 29 tackles, a sack and an interception in his first year) could play a big part in the Irish pulling the upset.

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