Concussion sidelines Notre Dame football captain JD Bertrand for Central Michigan game
SOUTH BEND — Inside linebacker JD Bertrand, Notre Dame football's two-time captain and leading tackler the past two seasons, will miss Saturday’s home game against Central Michigan as he recovers from a concussion.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman made the announcement Thursday on his weekly Zoom update with reporters. Sixth-ranked Ohio State visits Notre Dame Stadium for a top-10 showdown on Sept. 23.
Bertrand, who was sidelined in the third quarter of last week’s 45-24 win at N.C. State, leaves a significant void in terms of communication and leadership.
“When he’s out, yes, you lose a lot of production,” Freeman said. “He’s a really good football player. But you lose a captain, you lose the leadership, the verbal communication of a confident guy that’s played a lot of snaps. That, to me, is where I’ve challenged that room.”
While noting fellow fifth-year graduate player Jack Kiser “has played a lot of ball” and will likely play more defensive snaps, Freeman also cited outside linebacker Marist Liufau, redshirt freshman Jaylen Sneed and January enrollees Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry among those who will be asked to compensate for Bertrand’s absence.
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“You’ve got to be so vocal to get guys lined up,” said Freeman, a former second-team Big Ten all-conference linebacker at Ohio State. “A lot of people call the linebackers the quarterback of the defense. What I’ve challenged those guys to do is not only step up with their play, but the vocal leadership that we need.”
Liufau played a whopping 70 out of 82 defensive snaps against the fast-paced Wolfpack offense. Kiser, a core contributor on special teams as well this season, played 38 defense snaps last week.
Sneed, primarily a rover but also a weapon off the edge in pass rush, played 21 snaps in Raleigh.
“Linebackers are problem solvers,” Freeman said. “They have to be an extension of the coordinator to fix the problems on the field.”
Bertrand contributed five tackles, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup in 45 defensive snaps against N.C. State.
The 6-foot-1, 233-pound Bertrand also missed time last season, sitting out the Navy game in November with a groin injury. He sat out the first half against both North Carolina and BYU after being flagged for targeting in consecutive outings last September.
Bertrand wound up playing just 36 combined defensive snaps in those two wins. He also played through a nagging wrist injury in 2021 that required offseason cleanup.
Follow Notre Dame football writer Mike Berardino on social media @MikeBerardino.
No. 9 Notre Dame (3-0) vs. Central Michigan (1-1)
When: Saturday, Sept. 16 at 2:30 p.m. EDT
Where: Notre Dame Stadium (77,622), South Bend, Ind.
Rankings: Notre Dame is ranked No. 9 in Associated Press poll and No. 11 in US LBM Coaches Poll. Central Michigan is unranked
TV: Peacock Streaming
Radio: WSBT (960 AM), WNSN (101.5 FM)
Line: Notre Dame opens as a 34-point favorite
Series: First meeting
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football loses top linebacker JD Bertrand to concussion
