"Those three tackles, obviously if
they are doing their job, good things
are going to happen. You could tell it
was going to be difficult for Texas to
run the football because of their play."
Notre Dame's ability to dominate up
front made life much easier for the line-
backers, who combined for 16 tackles,
1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. It also
allowed defensive coordinator Brian
VanGorder to free up the linebackers
to spy on Texas quarterbacks Tyrone
Swoopes and Jerrod Heard.
"You can't say enough good things
about our defensive line right now.
They were dominant up front," senior
Joe Schmidt said. "They all played so
well, and they were aggressive.
"To have a defensive line play the
way they did tonight, it makes a Mike
linebacker's job so much easier. To have
those guys creating havoc is great." ✦
Senior defensive lineman Sheldon Day produced consistent pressure up the middle, and finished with one
sack and four quarterback hurries.
PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA
