Notre Dame will be hard-pressed to replace key defender in CFP

It was a nice and easy first-round game for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

They had a home game in South Bend as the No. 7 seed, playing host to No. 10 Indiana. It was a 27-17 win on paper for the Fighting Irish, but the game wasn't as close as the final score made it seem. In fact, Notre Dame had a 27-3 lead with just about four minutes to go in the game.

It was a nice win for Notre Dame but it may not feel that nice right now for fans of the Fighting Irish as they look ahead to a second-round matchup with No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl knowing that one of their best players won't be available.

Senior defensive lineman Rylie Mills exited the game early in the second half after hurting himself while sacking Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke. He took some friendly fire as part of a two-man takedown of the Indiana quarterback, hobbled off the field and didn't return. 

Now it's being reported that he'll be lost for the rest of this Notre Dame playoff run due to a knee injury suffered on that play.