How Notre Dame Plans to Tackle Georgia Without Rylie Mills

Rylie Mills’ absence poses challenges for Notre Dame against Georgia. Here's how the Irish can adapt and compete.

Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills (99) and defensive lineman Donovan Hinish (41) celebrate getting a stop during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During Monday afternoon's press conference, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman confirmed the fears of many - defensive tackle Rylie Mills is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury suffered against Indiana.

Mills got rolled up on from behind in the second half against the Hoosiers in the first round of the College Football Playoff. He did not return and has played his last snaps in a Fighting Irish uniform.

When it gets down to this part of the season, you need all hands on deck to defeat the best teams in the country and Notre Dame simply can not escape the injury bug at this point.

Losing an All-American like Mills right before a massive matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl is extremely unfortunate and potentially devastating.

Now what?

Rylie Mills done for the year.

Notre Dame has been absolutely beat down depth wise on the defensive line

— Mason (@MasonPlummer_) December 23, 2024

Nearly every scholarship athlete on the Notre Dame defensive line has missed time this year and it only continues now with Mills.

Veteran defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio and youngster Donovan Hinish will be relied on heavily next to Howard Cross to create pressure and stuff the running lanes that Georgia will try to create.

Of course, with how Georgia recruits and develops talent, it has two All-America guards and an All-SEC center that will be happy to no longer have to face a player of Mills' talent.

This Notre Dame team is much deeper and overall more talented than the playoff teams we saw in 2018 and 2020 but it will be heavily tested January 1 by a very good Georgia team.

This year's iteration of the Bulldogs is not quite what we have seen in the past, especially with it not having the services of quarterback Carson Beck.

Georgia will turn to sophomore Gunner Stockton, who will make his first career start against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.

Notre Dame has the talent to hang with the Bulldogs and even win the game, but it will be decided in the trenches ultimately. Rubio, Hinish and Cross will need to play some of their best football if Notre Dame plans to move on to the next round.