SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The public sharing of Boubacar Traore's injury diagnosis was delayed by Notre Dame football's lack of media availability during an idle week on the schedule. The end result was still the same: Traore, a sophomore vyper defensive end, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee injury.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman announced the news during his Monday press conference. The No. 11 Irish (4-1) will head into Saturday's home game against Stanford (2-3) without their top two vypers to start the season. Notre Dame previously lost starter Jordan Botelho to a right knee injury suffered during the Purdue game in week 3.
Traore leads the Irish in sacks (3.0) and tackles for loss (5.0), which account for almost half of his 11 tackles. Traore returned an interception for a 34-yard touchdown against Purdue and forced a fumble against Miami (Ohio). Botelho tallied 12 tackles and one sack in the first three games.
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The Irish will have to continue to lean on Junior Tuihalamaka at the vyper position. His defensive snaps this season have only come since Botelho's injury after playing only on special teams in the first two games. Tuihalamaka, a junior, has totaled seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, one half sack and one interception this season. Freshman Loghan Thomas saw action at vyper after Traore's injury in the Louisville game.
Three Notre Dame players have been ruled probable for Saturday's Stanford game (3:30 p.m. EDT on NBC): sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison (right ankle), sophomore cornerback Christian Gray (right shoulder) and junior defensive end Joshua Burnham (left ankle).
Faison, who missed two games after leaving the season opener at Texas A&M with a right ankle injury, exited the Louisville game early with more pain in his ankle. Faison has four catches for 29 yards to date this season.
Gray, who missed the Louisville game, starts opposite of All-America cornerback Benjamin Morrison. He's totaled six tackles, four pass breakups and one interception this season.
Burnham played sparingly against Louisville and missed the two games prior to it. He recorded four tackles, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry in three games.
Starting left guard Sam Pendleton, a sophomore, is expected to be available on Saturday. He missed some time in the second half against Louisville with a concussion.
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Three players have been deemed questionable for Saturday: sophomore tight end Cooper Flanagan (left ankle), junior right guard Billy Schrauth (right ankle) and senior defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio (left foot).
Flanagan was sidelined during the Miami (Ohio) game and missed the Louisville game. Flanagan caught three passes for 53 yards and one touchdown.
Schrauth, a starter in the last three games of last season and first three games of this season, went down with an injury in the Purdue game.
Rubio suffered his injury in ND's first preseason practice has started to heal. Rubio hasn't played in a game since the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29. In his first three seasons at ND, Rubio recorded 29 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
Freshman safety Tae Johnson (left foot) remains out but on track to return this season. Freshman quarterback CJ Carr has been dealing with an elbow issue that's required some rehab.
Notre Dame has several other players listed out for the season: walk-on CB Marty Auer (knee), walk-on DL Quentin Autry (shoulder), S Taebron Bennie-Powell (shoulder), VYP Jordan Botelho (knee), C Ashton Craig (knee), walk-on CB Charles Du (shoulder), OL Charles Jagusah (shoulder), LB Kahanu Kia (knee), RB Gi'Bran Payne (knee), OL Styles Prescod (shoulder) and CB Chance Tucker (knee).
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