Syracuse, N.Y. —Syracuse football already faces long odds to beat Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday and now it must attempt to upset the ninth-ranked Irish without its leading rusher.
Sophomore running back Yasin Willis will not play against Notre Dame due to an injury, according to a report from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
It was not disclosed when the injury occurred.
Willis met with Syracuse reporters on Tuesday and was looking forward to playing against the Irish.
Willis has rushed for 558 yards and four touchdowns in nine games this season.
This will be the second game Willis will sit out this season as he also missed SU’s win over Colgate earlier this season.
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown has labeled Willis SU’s best offensive player and has called for offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon to get him the ball more on a few occasions in postgame press conferences this season.
Willis was one of three key offensive players that confirmed this week they will return to Syracuse next season along with quarterback Steve Angeli and offensive lineman Byron Washington.
With Willis out, senior back Will Nixon will take on increased reps. Nixon has accumulated 328 yards on 77 carries with three touchdowns this season. He has also caught 22 passes for 177 yards.
Freshman Tylik Hill will also likely see his reps increase. Hill has appeared in six games this season with the most action coming at Miami on Nov. 8.
Hill had eight carries for 44 yards against the Hurricanes.
Notre Dame has the 13th-rated run defense in the country, allowing just 99.3 yards per game.
