Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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SEASON KICKOFF: DEFENSIVE LINE After being criticized for lack of consistency during the 2011 campaign, Louis Nix returned as a new man for his junior season that is ready to give full effort in every game situation. other. I don't feel like we've had a bad practice. We're going to see some significant production." Elston explained raw talent doesn't always make up News & Notes for background. That's on reason why someone like Day, out of Warren Central High in Indianapolis, has earned so much trust right off the bat. "It has been a challenge for everybody," Elston said. "To see [Nix] grow through that has been great. You don't get a lot of guys like Sheldon Day, who went through a very good high school program and was very well taught and [got the technique down] at just one position. "A lot of these guys played multiple positions in high case with fifth-year senior defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, who could have returned to Notre Dame and simply done what he's always done, which has worked out pretty good so far. Instead, Lewis-Moore said he wants to get a better grasp of the entire • Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? That's certainly not the defense rather than just what's going on in front of him. Understanding the whole system will let him be more of a leader on the field and be more effective at his own job at the same time. "Every day I'm trying to look for something new so I can teach myself or school. They're not trained at all the things we're trying to train them at. So you get guys that need to develop in a lot of different areas. It has been fun watching Louis Nix develop." Hounshell is visibly more confident this fall compared PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND take something to the next level," he said. "If we're going over our base package, you know maybe I might this year see what Manti is doing [in that particular defense]. It's not really hard to find something new." • Junior Kona Schwenke broke a knuckle in his right hand midway sive line lives up to high expectations. Kelly has already pegged both lines as the team's biggest strengths. On paper, he doesn't appear to be wrong. "I think he's got a really good pulse of the team," to a year ago, and plays with what defensive coordina- tor Bob Diaco calls a "full energy bucket." Elston said it's more of a giant chip on his shoulder that makes the youngster, who appeared in seven games in 2011, so exciting. Elston understands how important it is that the defen- Elston said. "I think he's done a lot of great things over the last 12 months to prepare this team for where we are today. I think it's going to show." ✦ 58 PRESEASON 2012 through fall camp and has been wearing a large cast. Position coach Mike Elston said the injury isn't an issue and that the cast is purposely larger than needed to provide better protection while the bone heals. Schwenke hasn't missed any reps and is ready to play in the Sept. 1 sea- son opener against Navy, against which Irish defenders, especially linemen, will need full use of their hands to defeat chop-blocks. "Other than a few days where he's maybe sore, sometimes you don't even know he's got it on," Elston said. • Both defensive coordinator Bob Diaco and head coach Brian Kelly admit they're looking for size most of all when it come to defensive re- cruiting, and it has showed in recent years. Elston says versatility is equally important. Lewis-Moore, Tuitt and others have lined up at multiple spots along the line, which is expected to continue depending on the situation. "We can do anything that we need to do based on how our personnel are doing," he said. "We can go right-left, we can go inside-outside; everybody has the capability to move around." — Wes Morgan BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED