Notre Dame has lost another captain to a season ending injury as defensive tackle Rylie Mills is out for the remainder of the College Football Playoffs because of a knee injury, Irish coach Marcus Freeman announced Monday.

Mills was injured on the first defensive play of the 2nd half of Notre Dame’s 27-17 opening round playoff win over Indiana on Friday at Notre Dame Stadium. He led the Irish this season with 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. Mills joins cornerback Benjamin Morrison as Irish captains that have suffered season ending injuries.

“You can’t replace Rylie Mills,” Freeman said Monday. “Yes–the production–but the leadership, a captain, very similar to the things I said about Benjamin Morrison when he was out. You feel awful for him as a person, a guy that decided to come back, improve his draft stock, be a captain. The value he provided this team is tremendous, and he’s done an excellent job as a football player and a leader, but you have to replace the production. You’ve got to replace what he did for our defense in different ways. We have capable guys that will step up, that have stepped up all year, that we’re very confident in, and those guys will have a bigger role this week.”

Notre Dame’s depth chart lists Gabe Rubio as the starter in place of Mills. Armel Mukam, who has appeared in just 8 games and made just 4 tackles on the season is listed as Rubio’s backup. At the other defensive tackle position, Howard Cross just returned from missing three games with an ankle injury. Donovan Hinish remains his backup but could see time at Mills’ spot too. Expect those three to likely rotate with Sean Sevillano and Mukam being the 4th and 5th options.

“You don’t prepare them in a week,” Freeman said when asked how you get the guys who have to replace Mills read. “They’ve been preparing every single day all season long. That’s why every rep you do in practice matters and is evaluated. Because you don’t know when that rep is going to be that thrusts you into Georgia. You have to prepare in a way in practice that you’re improving and you’re ready if your number is called. We got a lot of guys that prepare that way and will have a bigger role. Donnie [Hinish] has played at a high level. Gabe Rubio’s playing at a high level, and Howard (Cross) is obviously back,” Freeman continued. “We’ll get whoever that fourth and fifth guy is ready to roll. They’ve been preparing for this moment all season. It’s not something that you just do right now.”

Notre Dame has lost six starters to season ending injuries. In addition to Mills and Morrison, Notre Dame lost defensive ends Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore and offensive linemen Charles Jagusah and Ashton Craig. Jagusah, however may be on his way back. The projected starting offensive tackle, who was injured in preseason camp, will get his first full week of practice in. How and if he’s used against Georgia is still to be determined.

Freeman was asked Monday how the team has been able to keep going after so many injuries to critical players.

“The same way you do it after you lose to Northern Illinois,” Freeman explained. “You find out the most about your team and yourself as an individual in tough times and the lowest moments. What I learned about this program in its lowest moments is that they’re resilient, they’re tough, they continue to battle, and they choose to find ways to elevate. That’s what’s going to happen now. You lose a captain, and it’s tough. It’s a terrible loss. But this program knows what it has to do to continue to prepare and perform at a high level. That’s what you got to do. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. I feel sorry for Rylie Mills because I love that guy and he’s a great person, a great player. But you don’t feel sorry for yourself. You own it and you say, ‘OK, how do we find ways to improve?’ That’s what we’re going to do.”

Rocco Spindler is questionable for the Georgia game after injuring his ankle vs Indiana. Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, who sprained his knee vs Army, will practice this week for the first time in full with hopes of returning against the Bulldogs.

“He’s been rehabbing and obviously getting mental work in but hasn’t been able to practice,” Freeman says of KVA. “Now, we want to see the progression in the practice and then build that confidence. He builds that confidence in himself, and also in his coaches, and the doctors that he can go out there and get his job done, which I think he will.”

Notre Dame players will not return home for Christmas but instead stay in South Bend and celebrate Christmas as a team.

“It’s an honor, it’s a privilege to be able to celebrate Christmas together with your football program, with your football family and to be practicing for a College Football Playoff game,” Freeman said. “There’s a lot of college football teams that would want to do that. We gotta make sure we understand that. Our guys do. None of those guys are thinking about going home — at least they won’t tell me if they are. We’re going to have Christmas together, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Notre Dame will face Georgia January 1st at 8:45pm in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.