Report: Notre Dame RB Jafar Armstrong to miss Stanford game

Notre Dame running back Jafar Armstrong will miss Saturday’s game against Stanford due to a knee infection, Irish Illustrated reported.

The sophomore sported an ice bag on his left knee during player interviews following Wednesday’s practice. He leads the No. 8 Irish with five rushing touchdowns.

Returning from his four-game suspension, senior running back Dexter Williams is now expected to receive a bigger workload. Williams, the presumed No. 1 option before his suspension, ran for 360 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries in 2017.

Armstrong ranks second in carries and rushing yards for the Irish, but not by much. His 245 rushing yards trails Tony Jones Jr.’s 263. Armstrong’s 46 rushes falls short of Brandon Wimbush’s 49.

The No. 7 Cardinal rank No. 38 in run defense, allowing 123 rushing yards per game. Armstrong’s best performance came at Wake Forest last week. He rushed eight times for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the 56-27 victory. Armstrong also caught seven passes for 87 yards through four games.