Article updated: 1/5/2013 6:36 PM

Nix, Tuitt a contrast in defensive styles for Notre Dame

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FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2012 file photo, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o (5) celebrates with teammate Stephon Tuitt (7) after an interception against Oklahoma in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla. Te'o and the Irish will play Alabama for the national championship, the highlight of this year's 35 bowl games.

Associated Press

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Louis Nix III is the talker. Stephon Tuitt is the thinker. Put them together, and you've got the start of quite a stout defensive line for top-ranked Notre Dame. Personality-wise, there would seem to be little that links the loquacious Nix and the church-quiet Tuitt. Yet both on and off the field, they find ways to click in just about every way imaginable — and they're generally considered the two most productive defensive linemen on an Irish team that plays No. 2 Alabama on Monday night in the BCS title game.

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