Notre Dame DL Talks Rylie Mills Loss & Others Stepping Up
Rylie Mills helped hold things down while Howard Cross III was out for the final three games of the season with an ankle injury.
Now, after Mills suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first round of the College Football Playoffs, the roles will be reversed with Cross being tasked with leading the way without his defensive linemate.
"It was heartbreaking,” Cross said of learning Mills’ season was over after the win over Indiana. “We came back together. He was like the first guy that I talked to before and after I made my decision.
“It was really heartbreaking to see him go down with that especially with the strides he's made this year and the impact that he's had on our team. It's heartbreaking, but we're trying to win out for him at this point.”
Cross said playing a season this long and having to fight through so many injuries is a test of mental toughness.
“The whole thing for us is, ‘God forbid you go down, the next guy up has to know exactly what they're doing,’” Cross said. “We are expecting the next guy up to have the same or better production than the guy that's starting right now.
"Just make sure they know their plays, make sure they come off the ball, make sure they're kicking ass at practice. Making sure that, just being ready for the opportunity. We preach that all the time. You could be 100 percent healthy but we still tell the freshmen or the sophomores or guys that aren't playing, like, ‘Hey, know everything because, again, God forbid, just like that, you're up and you have to know what you're doing.’”
Donovan Hinish filled in well when Cross was out and now the Irish will be counting on Gabriel Rubio to do the same in Mills’ absence.
"Gabe's been around for a while,” Cross said. “Gabe knows the ins and outs of everything. He's been in big games. I got trust in Gabe or anybody else in the d-tackle position along with the entire defensive line. I trust them wholeheartedly. I'm excited to see what he can do."
In addition to Rubio, Armel Mukam and Sean Sevillano could be needed in big spots in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia on New Year’s Day as well.
"They're always hungry, always asking me what can I do better, always asking me to watch their reps in practice, always asking me to watch extra film after practice,” Cross said. “That general starting point is amazing for me to see.
“I've obviously been around here, I've seen players do that, and I've also seen players be like, ‘Alright, I'll figure it out later.’ Honestly, almost all of our freshmen, if not all of our freshmen, are like that. Armel's extremely strong and Sean can't be moved. I'm very excited for anybody in our room just to step up."