Notre Dame Will Be Without Thomas Harper and Gabriel Rubio vs. Louisville

Notre Dame will be without a pair of defensive players for the matchup against Louisville

Notre Dame will be without a pair of important defensive players for the upcoming matchup against Louisville. Fifth-year senior Thomas Harper and junior defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio will miss tonight's contest, according to Notre Dame.

Harper has been Notre Dame's nickel back all season and has played well for most of the season. Against a Louisville offense that likes to attack the perimeter with screens and quick game, Harper was expected to be a key defender to handle that part of the game. Harper has 25 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a pair of pass break ups this season.

With Harper out, expect to see Notre Dame play senior Clarence Lewis in the slot when it goes to its nickel packages. The Irish could also opt to use its base defense more in early downs, which would mean more of fifth-year senior Jack Kiser.

This is the second time Rubio will time this season, and it will be his fourth missed game. Rubio went down in the season opener against Navy and then missed the next three games while recovering from that knee injury. He returned for Notre Dame's matchup against Ohio State and played last week against Duke. 

With Rubio out, Notre Dame will likely rely more on junior Jason Onye and sophomore Donovan Hinish. Both interior defenders have been part of the rotation this season, but neither have been high volume players. Onye didn't play against Ohio State and only played six snaps against Duke. Hinish has not played in the last two games since Rubio returned from injury.

Notre Dame's defense was already facing a tough test against the Louisville offense, but it gets tougher with these two defenders out.

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