The linemen at Brigham Young carry their own weight … and then some. On both sides of the ball, the Cougars’ linemen outweigh the Notre Dame players across from them.
BYU’s five starting offensive linemen weigh an average of 325 pounds apiece. The Irish’s defensive line weighs an average of 271 pounds, or 54 pounds less per man.
The Cougars’ defensive line also is bigger than Notre Dame’s offensive line, though the advantage isn’t nearly as pronounced. The Irish’s starters average 294.6 pounds, while BYU’s defensive linemen weigh an average of 298.3.
Cougars defensive back Spencer White said their defensive line play was a big reason the Irish managed just 11 rushing yards in their 20-17 season-opening loss at BYU in 2004.
Irish running back Darius Walker didn’t play in last season’s BYU game, but he said Notre Dame could use its smaller line to its advantage.
“When you have big guys like that on the defensive line, you understand that you may not be able to pound them,” Walker said. “You can run around them and run outside. They don’t have the mobility that smaller guys can have.”