Eric Hansen

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Linebacker U. reference has been stricken from the pregame notes.

So has the linebacker who has garnered some national attention for San Diego State University the past couple of seasons -- Russell Allen. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior and two-year Butkus Award Watch List honoree is now defensive end Russell Allen, or at least a makeshift defensive end.

Between last week’s 29-27 loss to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and perilous offseason, the Aztecs lost seven defensive linemen -- three of whom had been regulars and are out for the season.

And this was already a defense that was one of the worst in the FBS against the run last season and showed few signs of improving in that area in its 2008 debut.

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis -- whose Irish (0-0) face the Aztecs (0-1) on the gridiron for the first time ever, Saturday in South Bend, Ind. -- borrowed a page from former Irish coach Lou Holtz’s pregame schtick and lamented how somehow this could turn out to be a disadvantage for the Irish.

“The one thing that concerns you with that, you kind of have a foundational structure,” he said of the Aztec defense. “You know what coverages they play. Now with a situation like this, it sometimes causes defensive coordinators to try to be creative.

“(Allen) is a guy who’s their best linebacker, and now they’re listing him as a potential defensive end. Well, is he really going to be an end or is he going to be a 3-4 outside linebacker? It’s a little bit of a guessing game.”

Even if SDSU had been able to keep Allen in his most familiar and effective spot, the Aztecs’ best chance to upset the three-touchdown favorite Irish rests with a player Aztec coach Chuck Long beat out Idaho for -- redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley.

Lindley became just the second SDSU freshman quarterback ever to start a season-opening game. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Alpine, Calif., product was 27-of-45 for 352 yards and four touchdowns in his debut.

“We saw a lot of positives in the game, starting with Ryan Lindley, who will be a special player here,” said Long, a special quarterback during his own playing days at Iowa, when he almost nudged out Bo Jackson for the Heisman Trophy. “(Lindley) showed poise, coming back after a rocky start. Talking to him on the sidelines, there were moments I had to catch myself saying, ‘Am I actually talking to a freshman here?’ The way he was talking to (the coaching staff), he sounded like a fifth-year senior.

“Not a lot of freshmen can see the field the way he does. He has that wide vision that is very rare. He was very impressive.”

The player to watch for Notre Dame in its opener plays a position most people rarely watch during a college football game, unless that player is performing particularly poorly.

Right offensive tackle.

Junior Sam Young is more than a right tackle. He is the top-rated non-quarterback recruit of the Charlie Weis Era, and last season he was one of the team’s biggest enigmas.

He was also the player who might have played through the most pain -- a wrist injury that rendered him essentially one-handed, and a foot injury that stunted his push at the point of attack and his mobility when pass blocking.

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There was more pain in the offseason -- this time self-imposed pain. Young even used his “vacation time” between spring semester and summer school to work out with an in-your-face trainer. He reported to fall camp more than 30 pounds stronger and with a nasty edge to his personality.

“I think those guys have a lot of pride,” Weis said of Young and the rest of the Irish offensive line. “It wasn’t a good year for any of us.”

It was a bad year of historical portions for the line, in fact, with an NCAA-record 58 sacks yielded and the worst rushing numbers in Irish history -- by roughly 50 yards a game.

“I’m sure there were times last year when I started to doubt myself,” said the 6-8, 330-pound Floridian. “But you have to have the drive to keep going, and, like cornerbacks, you’ve got to have a short memory.

“I can tell you one thing, we have not taken this offseason lightly. We’ve taken it to heart and have a real purpose. I think we’re going to surprise some people.”

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