Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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your one-on-one battles." Notre Dame's 2012 defense finished in the top 20 nationally in every category but two — sacks and tackles for loss. The Irish sacked their opponents 34 times, putting them in a respectable 22nd place in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Tackles for loss, though, were 78th in the country with an average of 5.38 per game. This year's group is capable of taking steps forward in both those categories because of the considerable returning talent in the front seven and the experience behind them. Coordinator Bob Diaco played a simple and conservative style of defense last year to keep his young secondary from running into trouble. With three returning starters in the defensive backfield this season, the option to force the issue at the line of scrimmage is on the table for Diaco and the rest of the coaching staff. "You could make the case that when you're more experienced back there that you could play more on-body coverages and obviously tie down more," head coach Brian Kelly said. "Whether we do or not, I think we certainly have that in our repertoire if we need it. When you're less experienced, you're more hesitant to do it." A year of tough competition has cornerbacks Bennett Jackson and KeiVarae Russell feeling more confident in their ability to slow down wide receivers without the help of zone coverage. Russell said that should allow the "insane freaks" at the front end of Notre Dame's defense to pin back their ears and attack the backfield. The list of freaks this season starts with Notre Dame's preseason All- America tandem, Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt. Nix, a senior, and Tuitt, a junior, both topped several offseason awards lists. There's no doubt that they can wreak havoc when they're in the game. The question for both will be how long they can stay on the field. Nix admitted he was essentially a two-down player as a junior. The massive nose guard was at times dominant, immediately pushing offensive lines in the wrong direction and creating opportunities for the players behind him to make easy stops. His impact on the game was limited mainly by his stamina. Increasing that workload was a top priority during the offseason. "One thing we'll try to achieve [in fall camp] is me being on the field as much as possible. That's a big step," Nix said. "I'll get pushed by my teammates and my coaches to be out there more and be considered more than just a two-down player." Nix returned to campus weighing 357 pounds, 10 pounds heavier than at the start of spring practice. His coaches reported that he was in better shape and could handle more snaps than a year ago. On top of his work with resident strength and conditioning coach Paul Longo, Nix also made two trips to Arizona this offseason to train with speed coach Luke Neal — father of former Irish wide receiver Davonte' Neal. Tuitt also started training camp with questions about his fitness level swirling around his head. The 6-6½, 322-pound junior added nearly 20 pounds to the frame that left opposing running backs in the dust during