Notre Dame's Josh Adams, Brandon Wimbush injured (Update)

Sam Cooper
·College football writer

Update: 11/4 – 5:50 p.m. ET

After leaving the field toward the end of the first half, Notre Dame QB Brandon Wimbush was back on the field to start the second half. Running back Josh Adams was cleared after entering the concussion protocol but did not return to action.

Notre Dame went on to win 48-37. Wimbush finished the game with 280 yards passing, 110 yards and rushing and three total touchdowns. The Irish are now 8-1 and have won seven games in a row.

Original story: 11/4 5:32 p.m. ET

No. 3 Notre Dame stormed out to a 31-10 halftime lead over Wake Forest but lost its top two offensive players in the process.

Running back Josh Adams, a Heisman Trophy candidate, had five carries in the first quarter but did not return to the field after a carry on Notre Dame’s third drive of the game. According to NBC, Adams, who entered the game with 1,169 rushing yards, was being evaluated for a concussion.

Later in the first half, quarterback Brandon Wimbush was injured on a running play late in the first half. The drive started at the Irish’s one-yard line, but Wimbush led his team deep into Wake territory. On a first down play from the Wake 29, he broke off a big run toward the end zone but took a big hit near the goal line.

The injury looked, at first, like it could be something serious, but NBC said Wimbush’s left hand was being X-rayed at halftime. Demon Deacons linebacker Jaboree Williams dove to make the tackle on Wimbush and his helmet crunched Wimbush’s left hand against his leg.

After Wimbush limped off the field, backup Ian Book came in and threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Nic Weishar, increasing Notre Dame’s lead to 31-10 at half.

Before the injury, Wimbush completed 11-of-19 passes for 164 yards and rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns, including the 50-yard scamper above.

The Fighting Irish appear to be well on their way to a seventh straight win, even without Adams and Wimbush.

– – – – – – –

Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!