Breaking: Kevin Austin Among 3 Notre Dame Players Unavailable Today
Welp, the Kevin Austin break out game is going to have to wait at least another week. Saturday afternoon, just 90 minutes before the start of the Notre Dame – Pitt game, the Irish announced their weekly list of players who are unavailable and Austin was on it along with two others including starting cornerback TaRiq Bracy.
This is just the latest blow for Austin and the Notre Dame passing game. After missing all of 2019 with a suspension, Austin started the year on the injured list following foot surgery over the summer. He returned two weeks ago but has been eased back into the offense. Today he is unavailable which casts doubt on his availability for next week as well.
UPDATE: Reports have surfaced that Austin reinjured his foot in practice this week and will miss the remainder of the regular season.
With Austin out, look for more of the same from the Notre Dame wide receiver rotations. The Irish do get Lawrence Keys back after the junior cleared concussion protocol this week, but losing Austin again is a big blow for an Irish passing game stuck in neutral this year.
Defensively, losing Bracy is just as big of a loss for the Irish. Bracy has quietly been having an excellent season. Look for freshman Clarence Lewis to be in the mix for a lot of playing time today. Notre Dame could also move Shaun Crawford to corner again this week if needed.
Pitt was already going to pass the ball a lot today with a putrid running attack. Now they will have a freshman at corner to target all afternoon. Look for Clark Lea to give Lewis some safety help and to perhaps dial up some more pressure than normal.
Josh Lugg was not expected to be available anyway this weekend so his loss won’t be felt nearly as much as Austin’s or Bracy’s.
I was already expecting another slog of a game this afternoon and this news only reinforces those thoughts. Notre Dame will need to manufacture yards in the air without their presumed top receiver yet again this weekend.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
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