SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame nose guard Louis Nix III always seems to find himself at the center of the action.
Whether it’s clogging things up along the defensive line for the Fighting Irish or off the field videotaping his latest YouTube segment "Chocolate News" that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the team, Nix seems to be in the thick of things.
"I don’t like to be in the center of things. I just so happen to be in the center of things," Nix said.
The 6-3, 326-pound lineman is a media favorite because of his amusing stories. He doesn’t do interviews as much as hold court, talking to a swarm of reporters about such things as how he gets cranky if he can’t have Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast, or how one of the youngest of his 11 brothers gave a school presentation on Nix being the Notre Dame quarterback or how Nix thinks coach Brian Kelly should give him a shot at quarterback on goal-line situations.
"One of these days he might come around and he’ll give me the ball on fourth-and-1 or whatever he wants. When I do it, then he’ll just keep giving it to me," Nix said. "I might get to throw it around a little bit, hopefully."
Nix already showed he’s good on goal-line situations going the other way, helping to stop Stanford in overtime on the final two plays from the 1-yard line after sitting out a play for having the wind knocked out of him. He also forced a
The fourth-ranked Irish (8-0) will be seeking to win their first nine games for the first time since 1993 when they host Pittsburgh (4-4) on Saturday. That 1993 team finished the year 11-1 and ranked No. 2.
Nix is sixth on the team with 30 tackles for a Notre Dame squad ranked 11th in the nation in defense. Against Oklahoma last week he was part of the Irish front that held Oklahoma to 15 yards rushing, the seventh lowest total in Sooners’ history. He also broke up a pass against Oklahoma and made a tackle 11 yards downfield on a pass play.
Asked why the Irish are so good at red zone defense, ranking fourth in the nation, Nix said it’s because they get tired of being on the field.
"You’re ready to get to the bench and get some water and these guys are trying to score. So you have to stop them to get some water. If you want water you have to stop them," he said. "You just have to want the water."
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