Day trying to bring along young Notre Dame linemen

Notre Dame defensive lineman Sheldon Day had more to worry about than getting his numbers Saturday when the Fighting Irish thrashed Texas 38-3. 

The senior captain also had to make sure youngsters Daniel Cage and Jerry Tillery didn't get lost in the hype of a night game to open the season at Notre Dame Stadium. 

"It's all about keeping emotions down and making sure that they are locked into the game," Day told reporters in South Bend this week. :So it was all about staying on them and making sure that they got it each and every play and that they were confident in their abilities." 

Cage, a sophomore from Cincinnati, had three tackles while Tillery, a true freshman from Shreveport, La., had only one -- but it was a sack. 

Their play went beyond what can be measured on the stat sheet, though, as they helped create opportunities for other players. 

"Oh, man, they played out of their minds, just running around for the ball," Day said. "'J', first time playing, didn't look like a freshman at all, just watching him fly around, make plays, have fun, finally see some excitement with football. Definitely good to see him and Daniel play well, kept his gap and did everything we asked him to do." 

For his part, Day also had one tackle and made it count -- it was a sack, too.