NC State defensive line ready for Notre Dame challenge
NC State defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen completely understands the feeling of playing against Notre Dame. He did it himself four times.
Nielsen is always energetic about the next game, but hosting Notre Dame is a different dynamic. Nielsen played against the Fighting Irish four times during his USC playing career, going 1-3 (2-3 when counting his redshirt year). The former defensive tackle had nine tackles over the last three games. He understood as a teenager from Simi Valley, Calif., what it meant to play Notre Dame.
“I’m excited as heck for this next game,” Nielsen said. “Any time during this part of the season, it’s the best time of the year. A Saturday afternoon is fantastic. Especially at home because our place is really cool. We have great fans and a great environment to play.”
Nielsen played for coaches John Robinson, Paul Hackett and Pete Carroll during his USC career (1997-2001).
“I’ll talk to the players a little bit, and you try to draw from your experiences as a coach to help your players,” Nielsen said. “[It can be] blocking schemes and pass rush and things like that. My guys are a lot more talented than I ever was. They are able to do things that I couldn’t do.”
Some of his USC teammates during those years include current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who is a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Nielson looks back fondly on defeating Notre Dame 10-0 on Nov. 28, 1998, during his redshirt freshman year.
“That was pretty cool,” Nielsen said. “That was a physical football game. I was fortunate enough to be involved with that.”
Notre Dame’s offensive line has allowed 10 sacks in five games, with the strength coming on the left side. Redshirt junior left tackle Mike McGlinchey, who is 6-7 and 310 pounds, and 6-4, 325-pound junior left guard Quenton Nelson are both considered top NFL Draft prospects down the road. Four of the five offensive linemen are at least 6-4 1/2, and all are over 310 pounds.
“Across the board, they are a solid group,” Nielsen said. “They are impressive. They are big strong guys, who are very athletic and move well. They have done a good job of recruiting and good job of developing.”
Notre Dame threw the ball 37 times and rushed it 35 during the 50-33 win over Syracuse. Sophomore tailback Josh Adams has enough speed to get outside, but typically runs between the hashmarks for the Fighting Irish.
NC State did a good job of making Wake Forest one-dimensional in last week’s 33-16 win. The Demon Deacons rushed 21 times for just 69 yards.
"We had a solid performance," Nielsen said. "I think our guys are getting better. Our secondary played extremely well and our linebackers played their [butts] off."