Key Cog Out: Notre Dame’s Explosive Offense Takes a Blow

Notre Dame's offense has been borderline elite this season, overcoming an 0-2 start to be able to throw and run the ball with just about everyone. Sure, quarterback CJ Carr as well as star running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have something to do with that, but so does the offensive line.

And that offensive line took a significant hit over the weekend. Starting center Ashton Craig suffered a right knee injury in Saturday's game against NC State, and on Monday, Marcus Freeman announced that Craig will be done for the rest of the season.

This is the second straight season Craig suffered a season ending injury, doing so against Purdue last year, and missing Notre Dame's final 13 seasons.

Who Replaces Ashton Craig on Notre Dame's Offensive Line?

Last year Notre Dame had the fortune of having veteran interior offensive lineman Pat Coogan step in and replace Craig. That's not the case this fall as Coogan transferred to Indiana following last season, and is key in the Hoosiers run game being one of the best in the nation.

So what does Notre Dame do to replace Craig against USC and for the rest of the season?

Sophomore Joe Otting will get the first crack at the starting center position, as he's listed atop the depth chart for USC week. Otting saw action in seven games last season and has been called upon in three more so far this year.

He checks in at 6-4, 308 pounds, and hails from Topeka (Hayden), Kansas. That appears to be the direction Notre Dame will go, with freshman Cam Herron and sophomore Chris Herek also listed on the three-deep at the position.

Potential Big Loss for Notre Dame

It's not a position that gets nearly the praise it deserves but the center is heart of the offensive line. I won't say that Notre Dame made a mistake in letting Coogan go to Indiana, because guaranteed playing time was clearly not going to be a thing, but man would I feel better about things if he were still here.

That said, Joe Rudolph has done a stellar job improving this offensive line since the start of the year, and there is plenty of reason to have faith in Otting. However, I am curious to see if Notre Dame's run designs change at all this week, with the inexperienced center taking over.

Notre Dame and USC are set to kick off from South Bend at 7:30 p.m. ET in a game that can be seen on NBC and Peacock.