Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/102697
Under the Dome Nix, a 2012 thirdteam CBS-Sports.com All-American, was the 326-pound anchor on the nation's No. 1 scoring defense during the regular season. Despite consistently facing multiple blockers trying to move him out of the way, Nix paced the Irish linemen in tackles (45) for the second straight year and also led the group in passes defended (five). However, Nix's value goes far beyond raw numbers. His wide body forces opposing lines to concentrate on his mass, thereby helping take offensive guards off Te'o and freeing him up more in space, or helping liberate sophomore end Stephon Tuitt to record a team-high 12 sacks. "Without him, there are a lot of runs that wouldn't be stopped," Tuitt said. Neither Martin nor Nix will post tangible statistics like a Te'o or Eifert, but their return in 2013 helps make Notre Dame a bona fide national contender again. They can be the "aircraft carriers" in the trenches for their respective units the way Te'o and Eifert were in 2012. Taking The Fifth It didn't appear there was much more for Martin to achieve by coming back in 2013. This December he was on the top-ranked college football team and had a degree forthcoming in management-entrepreneurship from the topranked Mendoza College of Business. Nevertheless, there are plenty of personal goals remaining. "The main reasons I wanted to come back were I wanted to play with my little brother [sophomore tackle/ guard Nick Martin], I wanted to finish out with [left guard Chris] Watt, and ultimately play another year with Coach [Harry] Hiestand," Martin said. "He's taken my game to a new level this year, and I know another year with him will be even better." First-year Fighting Irish offensive line coach Hiestand was dumbfounded by Martin not receiving any All-America notice. The offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears from 2005-09, Hiestand has coached and developed several Pro Bowl performers in his 30 years as an instructor. "I've had the opportunity to coach a lot of good players over the years, a lot of good offensive linemen … and Zack is outstanding," Hiestand said. "He does everything — power plays, runs inside zone, outside zone — he's a physical presence on the left side in the running game and he's an excellent pass protector. I'd love to see the guy that somebody thinks is better than [Martin], because I haven't seen him." The left side of Notre Dame's line with classmates Martin and Watt, who also returns, was the bread and butter of the Fighting Irish ground attack that eclipsed 200 rushing yards per game in a regular season for the first time since 2000. Martin reportedly was projected within the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Although it wasn't necessarily a slam-dunk decision to return for a fifth season, it did eventually turn into a break-