Notre Dame Offensive Line A Work In Progress Ahead Of Title Game

As far as difficult situations for an offensive line go, Notre Dame couldn’t ask for much worse. The Irish are walking into a game with a banged up front five against an Ohio State defensive line that has treated the line of scrimmage like its own personal backyard — and the Buckeyes like to throw a party.

Starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp went down with an ankle injury in Notre Dame’s last game — a 27-24 win over Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinals. He was joined on the sideline by starting right guard Rocco Spindler.

Speaking to the media this week, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman gave an update on the status of both Knapp and Spindler.

“Yeah, Knapp will miss this game. He had a high ankle sprain and won’t be able to make it back,” Freeman said. “But we expect Rocco to be able to — we’ll see how he progresses this week of practice. But I know he’ll give everything he has into making sure he’s prepared.”

When Knapp went down against the Nittany Lions, the Irish turned to graduate senior Tosh Baker at left tackle. Redshirt freshman Charles Jagusah stepped in at right guard for Spindler. It was his first game of the year. He was slated to miss the 2024 season with a torn pectoral muscle. Jagusah played in two games as a true freshman, starting a game at left tackle.

He played well against Penn State in what almost amounts to a surprise appearance. His coaches were not surprised, however.

“Yeah, as far as Jagusah, again, unfortunate injury that occurred in fall camp, but he worked his way back,” Freeman said. “You know what, in the past few weeks or maybe the last month, he’s just been practicing and preparing. If he did get an opportunity, he didn’t know if he would or not, and he went out there and did an unbelievable job, did a great job just like we thought he would. Credit to him and [offensive line] Coach [Joe] Rudolph for being ready when his number was called, and then he went out and executed at a high level, so it speaks volumes to him and his preparation.”

There is a thought that if Rocco Spindler can go on Monday against the Buckeyes, then it could be Charles Jagusah back at left tackle.

How does Marcus Freeman feel about that possibility?

“As far as the starting lineup, we’ll do what’s best for our program,” he said. “We’ve got to figure that out. We have a week of preparation to make sure we get the right guys to start this game, and we’ll see what that is here in the next couple days.”

Regardless of who gets the start, redshirt sophomore right tackle Aamir Wagner will be the only offensive lineman to start every game this season for the Irish. Notre Dame has replaced each interior offensive lineman this season. Notre Dame will be starting their seventh and possibly eighth different offensive linemen when they suit up against the Buckeyes.

Don’t expect too much sympathy from Ohio State, however, as they started their ninth different offensive lineman — and fourth different left guard — in their 28-14 semifinal win over Texas.

No matter the lineups for either offensive line, the formula will come down to winning the line of scrimmage and protecting the ball. The team that does it better will win. And the team that can do it better will have done it with the much-needed help of their offensive line.

“That’s what this game is going to be about, is ‘Okay, everybody is going to have a plan going in, how do you make adjustments, how do you find a way to get the tough yardage that you need to get a first down and keep the sticks moving and take care of the football?'” Freeman said.

“We didn’t do a great job of that versus Penn State, and that’s probably one of the couple reasons that the game was really close. We’ve got to take care of the football, and we’ve got to find ways to run the ball.”

[Header photo courtesy of the Notre Dame Dept. of Athletics.]

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