SOUTH BEND – Notre Dame football second-team All-America nose tackle Howard Cross III went through pregame warmups Friday night as he returned from a sprained upper left ankle he suffered against Florida State , came back with much anticipation.

Cross, officially listed as No. 7 on Notre Dame’s pregame injury report, wore a thick bandage up to mid-calf to make it to 10 in the first round of the College Football Playoff^Th-seeded Indiana.

Cross was injured early in the second quarter of the loss to the Seminoles on Nov. 9 and had to make way for third-year senior Donovan Hinish as the Irish completed an 11-1 regular season.

Bring attitude:For Notre Dame football, the equation in CFP is simple: “No one is worth 15 yards.”

Struggling kicker Mitch Jeter, who has missed eight of 11 attempts since his 3-for-3 debut for the Irish in the season opener at Texas A&M, managed a 50-yard throw in Friday’s warmups. Jeter was perfect on shots from 49 yards or closer during his South Carolina career, but suffered a strained right hip in the win over Stanford on Oct. 12.