Members of Notre Dame football team battling flu ahead of semifinal against Penn State: report
Some members Notre Dame Fighting Irish he may have to do his best Michael Jordan impression on Thursday.
The flu is reportedly going around the team, just a few hours before theirs College Football Playoff Semifinals against Penn State.
On3 Sports reported that “those who have it are sick, but it sounds like they’re mostly backups and special teams players.”
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A close-up of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo on the 50-yard line on the field in action during the football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes on September 23, 2023 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. (Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Other reports since then indicate that the illness has receded in recent days, but the players are not out of the woods yet.
The Fighting Irish are riding high heading into Thursday’s Orange Bowl after defeating the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals last week.
Notre Dame received the seventh seed in the series, allowing them to host a home game against No. 10 Indiana. It was a fairly easy win, but Thursday could be their toughest test yet.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish cheerleaders run down the field with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo in action during the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Stanford Cardinals on October 12, 2024 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. (Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Penn State held Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty to just 104 runs last week, his lowest total of the season. That’s not necessarily good news for the Irish, considering Riley Leonard only had 90 yards passing against the Bulldogs.
The Nittany Lions are the sixth seeds in the bracket.
The Fighting Irish’s season appeared to be dead in the water after a home loss to Northern Illinois in the second week of the season, but they have since reeled off a dozen straight wins and come within one win of their second national title game in 15 years .
However, if I can get over what at the time seemed like a loss of a program change, the bug seems to be just a minor speed bump.
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This is the third time the Fighting Irish have been to the playoffs, after losing in the semifinals in both 2018 and 2020.
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