Irish Blog: Notre Dame Suspends Star Tailback

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Cierre Wood (20) runs up the middle against the Maryland Terrapins at FedEx Field. (Mitch Stringer-US PRESSWIRE)

Notre Dame announced on Sunday that starting senior tailback Cierre Wood would be suspended for the first two games of the 2012 season.

The Fighting Irish’s tumultuous off season, filled with suspensions and injuries, continued on Monday with Wood’s suspension for violating team rules. Junior defensive end Justin Utupo was also suspended for two games.

Wood and Utupo aren’t the first players suspended by head coach Brian Kelly; He also suspended starting quarterback Tommy Rees and linebacker Carlo Calabrese for the season opener against Navy.

The Irish also lost starting cornerback Lo Wood for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Replacing Cierre Wood in the starting lineup will be dual-threat Theo Riddick, who has played both running back and wide receiver in the past. George Atkinson III is also expected to receive reps at running back as well.

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Information from ESPN and YahooSports! was used in this article.

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