Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Cave home serving a weekly Mexi- can buffet for a gang of hungry and hulking offensive linemen for the last half-decade. Occasionally, skill play- ers have been invited to load up on "Mama Cave's" legendary burritos, which are the size of small fishing boats. "It's fun know- Dame — always has been," he said." When I got the offer, it was a pretty easy decision." His family is Notre Dame, with the "My entire family is all about Notre ing a lot of people around town and having a lot of sup- port," Cave said. "Being able to come home and get that home-cooked meal is even bet- ter." It wasn't smooth sailing for the 6-3, time was one of the more sentimen- tal things for me," Cave said of his fondest memories in an Irish uniform. "Definitely the rushing improvement the last two years is something we're very proud of. It was tough at first, but it's all how you look at it. "For me, it was a fresh start [with the coaching change from Charlie Weis to Brian Kelly in 2010]. It was just me being able to take advantage of a great opportunity." Staying strong AND SOMETHING I'LL REMEMBER FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I'M TRYING TO HOLD ON TO EACH GAME FOR EVERYTHING IT'S WORTH RIGHT NOW." CAVE "IT'S BEEN A CRAZY JOURNEY. IT'S BEEN SOMETHING SPECIAL 304-pounder when he first arrived in South Bend, and there were rough seas as recently as last year, when he missed the final four games of the year with a foot injury. As a freshman in 2008, he got on the field as a long snapper on special teams before an injury early in the season wiped out the year. In 2009, he waited in line behind a bevy of experienced linemen and was relegated to special teams. Because of a concussion to then-fifth-year senior Dan Wenger, Cave lined up with the first team for the first time in the 2010 season opener against Purdue. He has started 32 games in his career, with three remaining. "Coming out on the field for the first had an impact in the weight room as well as in the win column. "Like [strength and conditioning] has been Cave's literal and men- tal motto along the way. The most powerful player on the roster, with a bench press that has measured well more than 500 pounds, Cave has Coach [Paul] Longo always says, lead from the front and the rest will fol- low," Cave said. The final destination is still unclear in the closing weeks of the 2012 sea- son, and the finality of it all is begin- ning to sink in for Cave, who hasn't taken a second of his experience — a dream come true — for granted. "I was talking to my parents the other day, and they can't believe that it's almost over," he said. "It's been a crazy journey. It's been something special and something I'll remember for the rest of my life. I'm trying to hold on to each game for everything it's worth right now." ✦