Luke Talich’s Hand Injury Adds to Notre Dame Football’s Safety Questions Ahead of Purdue

Notre Dame had a new addition to the injury report this week, and it is at a position where the Irish were already shorthanded. Marcus Freeman said Monday that safety Luke Talich is dealing with a hand injury and that Notre Dame expected to know how serious it was by that afternoon. The range he put on it is narrow: Talich either plays at Purdue this week or misses about a week.

“With Luke, we’ll find out more today. It’s a hand injury, and so we’ll find out probably this afternoon how serious it is,” Freeman said. “Is it going to be, can we just tape it up, cast it up, and get him out there, or is it going to need a week or so?”

Notre Dame is already dealing with the loss of starter Brauntae Johnson at the position, leaving the Irish thin. Johnson’s timeline is already set. Talich’s depends on what the imaging shows, and Freeman made clear that whatever it shows, it’s not to the same level as Johnson’s injury. Johnson will miss his third straight game this weekend.

“Luke’s not, no matter what the MRI says, is not going to be as long as Tay,” Freeman said. “Luke will be either back this week for the game, or he might miss a week or so.”

Talich has more than just filled in for Johnson in his absence. He turned in a dominant performance Saturday night against Michigan State with three tackles, 1.5 TFL, a sack, and an interception.

Johnson Still a Couple Weeks Away

Johnson, a preseason All-American on some lists, is in the middle of a rehab that began when he went down in the first half of the season opener. Last season, he put up 48 tackles and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

“He’s right on track like what we thought. He’s still got another couple weeks to really get back to where he can play, he can go full go,” Freeman said. “And so we’ll just keep trusting the rehab and what he needs to do to get back.”

Another couple of weeks before he can go full go would obviously take Johnson out of the Purdue conversation, though Freeman did not attach a specific game to his return. For now, the update is that the rehab is on schedule. Hopefully that rehab has him ready for Notre Dame’s October 17 trip to Provo, Utah, for the BYU game. The Irish shouldn’t need Johnson to beat any of the next three opponents – Purdue, North Carolina, or Stanford – but BYU figures to be the first real test of the season.

Joey O’Brien’s Role Could Grow

True freshman Joey O’Brien picked up snaps when Johnson went out, and Talich’s status will determine whether O’Brien picks up even more at safety.

“Obviously when Brauntae went down, his [O’Brien’s] role increased,” Freeman said. “With Luke’s situation, we’ll see if it increases even more.”

O’Brien has three tackles, two against Rice and one against Michigan State, and most of his work so far has come on special teams. Freeman sees that as preparation for more.

“There’s a lot of fundamentals that make you a successful special teams player that will also translate and carry over to the offense and defense,” Freeman said.

O’Brien’s size and range have been there since he arrived on campus. They are also why he was one of the most highly sought-after recruits in the country this past cycle and why so many have him pegged as the next Irish star safety. O’Brien was a 5-star recruit and ranked as the #1 safety and #31 overall player in the country.

“He’s one of those freaky athletes, right? 6-4 and might be 6-5 and can run and can cover and can hit,” Freeman said.

What has changed is how much the staff trusts him to handle the assignment.

“But now he’s building trust that he can get his job done, right, and consistently. And so that comes from preparation, right? That comes from additional meetings, additional instruction, meeting with coaches, and then going out and practicing and doing it,” Freeman said. “And so now coaches have a lot of trust that, hey, we go in the game, he’s going to get it done. And so he’s done that pretty consistently over the past couple weeks.”

Safety Depth in Focus for Purdue

Notre Dame goes to Purdue on Saturday for its first true road game, and safety is the position newly in flux this week. The Irish defense has allowed 23 points through three games and will try to keep that number down with a thinner back end than it has had all season. Johnson’s return looks to be at least a couple of weeks away. Talich’s status was still open when Freeman left the podium, and it will determine whether O’Brien’s role grows again.