If the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are going to come away with a win over the Florida State Seminoles in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Florida, they're going to need a solid performance from their offensive line, who will be contending with an active Seminoles front seven, writes Al Lesar of the South Bend Tribune.
Champs Sports Bowl 2011: Fighting Irish Preparing For Battle In Trenches
"High pressure," said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly of the Seminoles. "They're a very athletic group. They're not asked to do too much - they're asked to get after the football. They're similar to the Miami defense last year."
The Irish racked up 397 yards of total offense against the Hurricanes last season, including 201 passing yards from then freshman quarterback Tommy Rees, who passed for 2,708 yards and 19 touchdowns as the Irish ranked 34th in passing offense in 2011.
Rees and the offensive line will be going against a Seminoles defense that ranks second in the nation against the run, sixth in total defense and whose 36 quarterback sacks were tied with Illinois for the ninth-most in the country.
"They're obviously a very, very talented defense," guard Trevor Robinson said. "But, we're a talented offense. We're just going to have to do our job."
For more on Notre Dame, visit Fighting Irish blog One Foot Down. For more on Florida State, visit Seminoles blog Tomahawk Nation.
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