Irish face big challenge up front in bowl game

December 21, 2011|by Pete Byrne (pmbyrne@wsbt.com)

When Florida State takes the field against Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl on December 29, one group in particular will have Brian Kelly's attention: The Seminole defensive front.

Kelly can summarize the `Noles front four in one word.

"Athleticism," he said. "They don't stay blocked. You may catch them for a second, but they keep their feet moving. Just a very athletic group."

Florida State has the 2nd ranked rushing defense in the nation. They also ranked 9th nationally in QB sacks with 36. Notre Dame faced four teams this season with more, and lost two of those games to South Florida and Stanford.

The offensive line is aware of the challenge they face.

"It's going to be a very physical game", Notre Dame junior offensive tackle Zack Martin anticipates.

"They bring a combination of speed and power. Their front four is arguably the best we've had this year,"

On the flip side, in the two games Notre Dame won versus opponents with a high sack total, those being Michigan State and Pitt, the offense was able to run the ball efficiently.

Without Jonas Gray, who suffered a season-ending knee injury, that puts the load on the shoulders of Cierre Wood and converted wide receiver Theo Riddick.

Wood isn't intimidated by Florida State.

"The mentality I have is you can put anybody in front of me, and I'm just going to do my job and do what I do best", Wood says. "It really doesn't matter who we face."

It may not to Wood, but the Irish offensive line is looking forward to the opportunity.

"We're up for the challenge. You want to puts your skills up against a guy who is a big time player. It will be fun to play against those guys."

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