The Notre Dame football team is on quite the roll this season. That’s despite the fact that there has been plenty thrown in their way.
Northern Illinois was certainly one roadblock that the Irish had to find a way around. Injuries have been a bigger roadblock that has popped up over and over and over again. Even if ESPN”s preview of the Sugar Bowl wrongly claimed Marcus Freeman’s squad was “fully healthy.”
Now, the Notre Dame football team is dealing with yet another injury. When it comes to Cooper Flanagan, he’s not someone who is normally thought of as a key member of the Fighting Irish. However, the tight end’s inabability to go against Penn State in the Orange Bowl is another road block.
Notre Dame football loses key blocker ahead of the Orange Bowl
Flanagan was injured in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia and will be out for the remainder of the College Football Playoff after hurting his foot in the game.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman made his announcement on Saturday morning while noting everyone else that went down in the game should be good to go. While that's good news for running back Jeremiyah Love and defensive tackle Howard Cross III, it's another setback for Flanagan, who also missed time early in the season.
Flanagan has caught just four passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns but it’s not on the offensive side of the ball where he’ll be most missed.
It was his blocking ability that will be lost. In addition to a key block on Jeremiyah Love’s big run against Indiana, he posted the best blocking grades of any Notre Dame football tight end who had more than 100 snaps. Against Penn State, the loss of Cooper Flanagan is going to be a real problem.