With just three days until a road matchup against rival No. 3 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, Michigan State football may be without the leader of its defense.
Senior linebacker and two-time captain Jordan Hall remains questionable ahead of Saturday's game, as a right arm injury suffered during the Spartans' season opener against Toledo appears to linger. The injury sidelined him against Eastern Michigan, where Hall was seen wearing a brace on his elbow.
"I think coach was on record last week as saying he was close, and you know we kind of handled him the same way this week," MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said at Wednesday's press conference. "It'll be a decision of coach and the trainers and the doctors and all those things."
That comes as a slight shock after MSU head coach Pat Fitzgerald said Hall was "really close" to being able to play, following the 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan.
"The medical team told us that he was not cleared here late in the week; we made that decision collectively together to make sure that we think about his health, safety and well-being," Fitzgerald said. "And I expect that we practice tomorrow and he'll be ready to go."
Kickoff between No. 3 Notre Dame (2-0) and MSU (2-0) is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. The game will air on NBC and Peacock.
Losing the MIKE linebacker, the quarterback of the defense, in the Spartans' first road game of the season would be a significant blow. It's also unfamiliar territory for Hall, who had missed just one game in his career before this season.
If he can't go by game time Saturday, MSU will face added adversity. But that's exactly the situation the Spartans' next-man-up mentality is built for.
"If he can go, that's great for us. If he can't go, then that's great; we had an opportunity last week with guys to get reps and be in kind of those situations," Rossi said.
Sophomore linebacker Brady Pretzlaff has been a perfect example of that in just two games. He practiced his way into a starting role in the season opener after a season-ending shoulder injury last year, and then served as the MIKE linebacker in Hall's absence against Eastern Michigan last week.
