Notre Dame football loses starting safety to hand injury vs Syracuse
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SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football will be without starting safety Tae Johnson for its Senior Day game against Syracuse, the school announced Friday.
Johnson, a redshirt freshman who leads the team with four interceptions, will miss the game due to a left hand injury, per the announcement.
Considering Johnson had not appeared on official report all year, it appears he suffered the setback during practice this week.
Virginia Tech graduate transfer Jalen Stroman and former walk-on Luke Talich would be in line for more playing time against a 3-7 Syracuse team starting a walk-on lacrosse player at quarterback in Joseph Filardi.
Johnson, at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, is coming off his first career pick-six with a 49-yard interception return in last week’s win over Pittsburgh.
“He’s as confident as anyone, but it’s because of the work,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said of Johnson after Notre Dame’s eighth straight win. “He knows he’s gifted, but he’s put in a lot of work and he’s making plays for us, man. He’s an extremely talented football player that is just getting better.”
He leads the defense with 35 unassisted tackles and ranks third with 48 total tackles. The Fort Wayne North Side High School product has added three pass breakups and returned a blocked punt for a 20-yard touchdown in Game 2 against Texas A&M.
Stroman is eighth on the team with 25 tackles, one sack and two pass breakups.
Talich has 21 tackles, three interceptions and three pass breakups. The Cody, Wyo., native made a key fourth-down stop of a Panthers receiver at the goal-line to force a turnover on downs.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football loses starting safety to hand injury vs Syracuse
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