Just moments before kickoff on Saturday, No. 14 Notre Dame football (6-2) announced a key injury. Cornerback Benjamin Morrison will not play against Pittsburgh (2-5) due to a quad strain.
The decision to sit Morrison was made following warmups in Notre Dame Stadium.
Morrison, a sophomore, has already started 16 games in his Irish career. He started every game in the 2023 season prior to Saturday with the exception of the season opener against Navy's triple-option offense.
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Morrison earned Freshman All-American honors last season and has followed up the debut with a strong sophomore season. Opponents only completed 51.5% of the passes thrown his way in the first eight games. He's allowed 17 catches for 160 yards and three touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus. Morrison tallied 20 tackles, two interceptions, six pass breakups and two tackles for loss this season.
Notre Dame started fellow sophomore Jaden Mickey in Morrison's place at cornerback. Mickey, who played in 11 games as a freshman, made the second start of his career. He started in the regular season finale at USC last season.
Mickey, played who played 133 defensive snaps in the first eight games of 2023, recorded six tackles.
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