November 21st Weekend

Big 12 This Week

Thursday November 19th

(3-7) Colorado @ (8-2) #12 Oklahoma State

The 12th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys will look to take advantage of the struggling Colorado Buffaloes this Thursday night, as the two Big 12 clubs clash in Stillwater. The Cowboys have enjoyed a terrific campaign up to this point and they are coming off another solid win, capturing a 24-17 victory over Texas Tech this past weekend.

The win was the team's second in a row following OSU's lone league loss to Texas back in late October. At 5-1, the Cowboys remain in sole possession of second place in the Big 12 standings, with only rival Oklahoma remaining on their regular season schedule.

As for the Buffs, their miserable campaign continued last weekend, when the team suffered a 17-10 loss at Iowa State. The loss was Colorado's 10th straight in true road games and its 12th in a row outside the state of Colorado, as the team was eliminated from postseason contention at just 3-7 overall.

Colorado does lead the head-to-head series with the Cowboys, 26-18-1, but OSU won last season's meeting by a 30-17 score.

Saturday November 21st

(5-5) Kansas @ (10-0) #3 Texas

The third-ranked Texas Longhorns aim for their 11th win of the season and a Big 12 South Division title, as they play host to the Kansas Jayhawks in conference action this weekend.
Mack Brown's Longhorns moved to 10-0 on the year with last week's 47-14 drubbing of Baylor in Waco. With the victory over the Bears, UT posted its ninth straight season with at least 10 victories, the longest streak in the nation. Texas seeks back-to-back 11-win campaigns for just the third time in school history and is closing in on the Big 12 South title, leading Oklahoma State by a game in the standings with two left on the docket.

Standing in UT's way is the struggling Kansas Jayhawks. It has been a tale of two seasons for Mark Mangino's team, which has spoiled a 5-0 start to the year, with five consecutive losses, including last week's 31-17 setback against Nebraska. It was just recently announced that Mangino is the subject of an internal review relating to a personnel matter, confirmed by Jayhawks Athletic Director Lew Perkins.These two teams have meeting for the 10th time, with Texas winning seven of the previous nine matchups, including seven straight entering this season.

(6-5) Kansas State @ (7-3) Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhuskers play their final home game of 2009 this weekend as they entertain the Kansas State Wildcats in a Big 12 Conference showdown in Lincoln. Currently sitting at 7-3, the Huskers are 4-2 in league action and will close out the regular season altogether with a trip to Colorado on November 27th. The team was on the road last weekend and turned that experience into a 31-17 triumph against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Nebraska scored in every quarter against Kansas last Saturday, but it wasn't until Roy Helu logged a pair of rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter that the Huskers could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Helu, who recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the first half, finished the outing with 28 carries for a game-high 156 yards and three touchdowns overall. The team's rushing attack accounted for 214 yards on 42 attempts, while Zac Lee converted 13- of-21 passes for another 196 yards as well.

Against a once-feared Kansas program, the Huskers held their ground and allowed just 99 rushing yards on 29 attempts. Better still, KU quarterback Todd Reesing was held in check as he completed just 19-of-41 passes for 236 yards and a score. Barry Turner accounted for four tackles for the visitors, with two of those coming up as stops behind the line of scrimmage for Nebraska. The 17 points allowed by Nebraska were actually the second-highest total of the campaign behind the 31 points produced by Texas Tech back in the middle of October. Because points have been hard to come by for the opposition, it should be understandable that the Huskers currently own the top scoring defense in the conference and the third-best squad in the nation this week, permitting a mere 11.0 ppg. Five times this squad has given up less than 10 points on the campaign, turning the trick three times in the first four games of the season. Leaders on the unit include Jared Crick (nine sacks, 14 TFLs) and Ndamukong Suh (five sacks, 13 TFLs, three blocked kicks).

As for Kansas State, it has alternated wins and losses over the last four outings as the 6-5 team approaches the end of the regular season. Last week, KSU was throttled by Missouri in a 38-12 final, leaving the hometown fans little to cheer about as the 'Cats dropped to 4-3 in conference.
The Huskers hold a significant lead in the all-time series with K-State at 76-15-2 entering play this season.

(6-5) Iowa State @ (6-4) Missouri

The Iowa State Cyclones will try to guarantee themselves a winning campaign this weekend, as they conclude their regular season slate against the Missouri Tigers in Big 12 play at Faurot Field.

The Cyclones have been a pleasant surprise under first-year head coach Paul Rhoads and last weekend they clinched bowl-eligibility with a 17-10 win over Colorado. The triumph snapped a two-game slide and pushed ISU to 6-5 overall, tripling its win total from last season and making the program eligible for the postseason for the first time since 2005. A win this weekend would secure a winning record as well as an even finish in the always tough Big 12.

As for the Tigers, they too earned bowl-eligibility last weekend, scoring a 38-12 win at Kansas State. With wins in two of its last three games, Missouri now sits at 6-4 and is eligible for the postseason for a school-record fifth straight season. The Tigers, though, would obviously like to wrap up their home slate on a high note this weekend, especially considering they have dropped three straight games Faurot Field. Missouri leads the head-to-head series with ISU, 58-34-9, and that takes into account a 52-20 route in last season's clash.

(4-6) Baylor @ (5-5) Texas A&M

The Aggies need just one more win to become bowl eligible, but have failed in their first two bids at it, falling in back-to-back games at Colorado (35-34) and most recently, at Oklahoma (65-10). With the two losses, Mike Sherman's squad is just 5-5 overall and a mere 2-4 in conference play.
The Bears are even worse, sitting with just one league win in six attempts. Art Briles' squad was able to end a four-game losing streak with a solid 40-32 victory at Missouri on November 7th, but this past week found the team back in the loss column, with a humbling 47-14 home loss to third-ranked Texas.

This contest marks the 106th all-time meeting in this series which dates back to 1899. The Bears won last year's matchup in Waco (41-21), but A&M has won the last eight meetings at Kyle Field and has not lost at home to Baylor since 1984. With talented QB Robert Griffin playing in just three games this season due to injury, the Bear offense has had to adapt to a new signal-caller and it hasn't always been a smooth transition. Quarterback Nick Florence has done his best to lead the way to victory each week, but he doesn't have the versatility that Griffin possesses. Florence has completed 61.3 percent of his passes in the eight games he has played, but has six TDs against seven INTs. The Aggie offense is more potent than Baylor's unit and has the ability to move the chains on just about anyone. In all, Texas A&M is averaging a respectable 33.0 ppg this year, on 452.4 yards of total offense. Jerrod Johnson has been solid under center, throwing for 2,722 yards and 22 TDs, with a mere five interceptions.

(6-4) Oklahoma @ (6-4) Texas Tech

The Texas Tech Red Raiders wrap up the home portion of their schedule this weekend, as they host the Oklahoma Sooners in Big 12 play at Jones A&T Stadium.
The Red Raiders have been dominant at home this season, aside from a loss to Texas A&M, sporting a 5-1 record at Jones A&T Stadium. All five wins have come by 20 or more points, all the more reason the team should be confident heading into this bout. Unfortunately, TTU played its most recent game on the road, falling at nationally-ranked Oklahoma State, 24-17, over the weekend. It was the lowest point total of the year for the Raiders, who dropped to 6-4 overall and 3-3 within the conference.

As for the Sooners, they jumped back into the win column this past weekend in a big way, trouncing Texas A&M by a 65-10 score. It was quite a turnaround for Oklahoma, which was coming off 10-3 loss at Nebraska. The Sooners are now 6-4 overall and 4-2 within the conference, but only one of their wins has come away from home. Oklahoma leads the all-time series with TTU, 12-4, but the Raiders have won the last two meetings in Lubbock. Last season in Norman, the Sooners handed TTU its first loss of the year, 65-21, knocking the Raiders out of the national title race.

Navy this Week
(8-3) Navy has the week off and will travel to Hawaii for a game on November 28th against the Hawaii Warriors.

Texas Bowl Weekend Games November 14th

Congratulations to The Naval Academy who accepted an invitation to The Texas Bowl last Sunday. Navy defeated Notre Dame 23-21 to earn their 7th win of the season. As for Navy’s Big 12 opposition in The Texas Bowl, that’s anyone’s guess at this point.

Big 12 This Week November 14th

(9-0) #3 Texas @ (4-5) Baylor

The second-ranked Texas Longhorns enter the homestretch of the 2009 regular season by heading to Waco this Saturday to tangle with the Baylor Bears in Big 12 Conference action.
Mack Brown's Texas club is 9-0 and in the driver's seat with respect to the Big 12 South Division, checking in at 5-0 with Oklahoma State right behind at 4-1. The Longhorns are coming off a 35-3 pasting of UCF, marking the third time this season they have allowed fewer than 10 points in a game. Going a bit deeper, Texas has held seven of its nine opponents to 14 points or less, including each of the last six. Win out, which includes the Big 12 title tilt, and the 'Horns will likely meet the SEC champ (either Florida or Alabama) in the BCS National Championship Game.

Baylor is a game below .500 on the year at 4-5, and the Bears have won just one of their five leagues games thus far. Coach Art Briles' team did manage to pick up its biggest win of the year last week, however, knocking off Missouri in Columbia, 40-32. The victory put the brakes on a four-game slide and leaves the Bears just two games shy of earning bowl eligibility. It was BU's first win over Missouri as Big 12 foes, and it also snapped the Bears' 11-game losing streak in conference road games.

This is the 99th meeting between these two Lone Star State institutions, with Texas leading the series, 72-22-4. The Longhorns won last year's clash, 45-21, and have won 11 in a row over the Bears. Baylor's last win in the series was a 23-21 decision in Waco on November 1, 1997.

(5-4) Missouri @ (6-4) Kansas State

The Kansas State Wildcats will try to wrap up a perfect home campaign and in the process remain atop the North Division standings, as they host the Missouri Tigers in Big 12 play this weekend at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The Wildcats were an afterthought in the North Division title race, but coming down the stretch they hold a half-game lead over Nebraska at 4-2. KSU faces Nebraska in its regular season finale next weekend, making this game versus Missouri all that much more important. The Wildcats ran their home mark to 5-0 last weekend, as they picked up a 17-10 victory over rival Kansas. It was the third win in the last four games for KSU, which is now bowl eligible at 6-4.

As for Missouri, they won the last two North Division titles, but a three- peat is now out of the question with a 1-4 league ledger. The Tigers may have hit rock bottom last weekend, when the team suffered a shocking 40-32 loss to a struggling Baylor club. The Tigers are fading away themselves, losing four of their last five games, and their postseason aspirations are hanging by a thread.

Missouri had a big letdown on the defensive side of the ball last weekend, as it surrendered 465 total yards and five touchdowns to a struggling Baylor offense. The defense was exploited for 427 yards and three scores on 32-of-43 pass attempts and failed to come up with a single turnover.

Missouri leads the head-to-head series with KSU, 58-31-5, and it has won the past three encounters, including a 41-24 victory in Columbia last season.

(3-6) Colorado @ (5-5) Iowa State

The Iowa State Cyclones will try to make themselves eligible for the postseason with a win this weekend, as they entertain the Colorado Buffaloes in a Big 12 matchup at Jack Trice Stadium.
The Cyclones have already overachieved this season, as their five wins are the program's most since going 7-5 in 2005. That was also the last time ISU participated in a bowl game and it now has a chance to get back to the postseason with a victory in one of its final two games. The Cyclones have failed in their two prior attempts to secure the all important sixth win of a campaign, as they were defeated by Texas A&M (35-10) and most recently nationally-ranked Oklahoma State (34-8) this past weekend.

As for the Buffs, they kept their slim postseason hopes alive with a narrow 35-34 win over Texas A&M this past weekend. The win snapped a two-game slide and pushed Colorado to 3-6 overall, meaning it would have to win its last three games in order to become eligible for a bowl. Two of the team's final three games are on the road and that is a problem for the Buffs, who are 0-4 on foreign soil this season.

Colorado holds a commanding 48-14-1 advantage in the all-time rivalry with ISU and that takes into account a 28-24 victory in last season's meeting in Boulder.

(6-3) Nebraska @ (5-4) Kansas

Nebraska has won its last two games to move to 6-3 overall, including 3-2 in league action. Last weekend's 10-3 triumph over Oklahoma was particularly impressive, as limiting the Sooners to three points in four quarters of football seems a near impossibility. The remaining schedule is quite favorable for head coach Bo Pelini and his Huskers, who have a chance to win nine games.

Nebraska has been one of the nation's premier defensive teams this season, and the effort against Oklahoma was tremendous. Sure, the Huskers did allow 325 total yards in the contest, including 245 yards through the air, but they came up with a staggering total of five interceptions and permitted fewer than half of the passes attempted by Oklahoma to be completed. The fact that opponents are only scoring 10.3 ppg against Nebraska is a telling statistic for a defense that permits only 274.0 total ypg. Stopping the run has clearly been a strength of the unit, as it yields a mere 94.4 ypg at a clip of 2.7 yards per rushing attempt. There have been 18 takeaways registered, including 12 interceptions, and 27 sacks have been posted. There are many standout performers on defense for Nebraska, but Jared Crick and Ndamukong Suh are the stars. Su may be the best defensive lineman in the nation, and he has 13 TFLs, five sacks, 17 hurries and three blocked kicks to his credit. As for Crick, who benefits from Su's presence, he leads the team in tackles (57), TFLs (14) and sacks (nine).

As for Kansas, it opened the season with five consecutive victories to generate excitement amongst its fan base. Unfortunately, four straight defeats since that point have silenced the buzz. The most recent setback occurred last weekend in a 17-10 final against rival Kansas State.

Nebraska beat Kansas, 45-35, last season to extend its dominant series advantage over the Jayhawks to 89-23-3.

(5-4) Texas A&M @ (5-4) Oklahoma

Unranked for the first time since 2005, the Oklahoma Sooners go in search of that elusive sixth win that would make them eligible for a bowl game. That quest continues this weekend when coach Bob Stoops' team plays host to the Aggies of Texas A&M at Memorial Stadium in Norman.

A season that started with so much promise has turned into a nightmare for the Sooners as they have dropped four of their nine games, including a 10-3 decision to rival Nebraska last Saturday. It was the first time since a 29-0 loss to Texas A&M back in 1998 that Oklahoma failed to score a touchdown.

The Aggies have had their ups and downs this season as well, opening the year with three straight wins before suffering through a three-game slide. The team rebounded to post back-to-back wins over Texas Tech and Iowa State, but a heartbreaking 35-34 loss to Colorado last Saturday saddled the team with its fourth loss of the campaign. Like Oklahoma, A&M also needs a win to gain bowl eligibility, and with bouts against the Sooners, Baylor and Texas left on the docket, it won't be easy.

Oklahoma owns a 17-10 lead in the all-time series with Texas A&M, and the Sooners have won six straight over the Aggies and nine of the last 10. Last year's encounter wound up in favor of OU, 66-28.

(6-3) Texas Tech @ (7-2) #19 Oklahoma State

Texas Tech has won four of its last five games to move to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders have been idle for two weeks, as they were last in action on Halloween when they knocked off Kansas by a 42-21 final. While Mike Leach and his Texas Tech squad are already eligible for a bowl game, they are just 1-2 on the road this season and need a victory over OSU to improve their postseason prospects.

Oklahoma State enters this contest with a 7-2 overall record, including a 4-1 mark against Big 12 foes. The Cowboys have won six of their last seven outings, including a 34-8 romp over Iowa State last weekend. In four of the seven wins thus far, Oklahoma State has allowed 10 or fewer points.

The Cowboys are coming off the first game in which they knew Bryant would not be back, running for a season-high 331 yards in a 34-8 win over Iowa State last Saturday.Oklahoma State has won the Big 12 rushing title the last three seasons, with Hunter gaining a league-best 1,555 yards in 2008, and they're first this year at 196.0 per game.

Texas Tech owns a 21-12-3 edge in the all-time series with Oklahoma State, including a 56-20 romp over the Cowboys last season.

Navy this Week

(6-3) Delaware @ (7-3) Navy

Two straight wins at Notre Dame for the Midshipmen means another winning season and a trip to Houston for the Texas Bowl. Navy always overachieves. This is the program that does more with less than any other Division One outfit. Ken Niumatalolo is proving to be just as good a coach as Paul Johnson, and the college football world knows just how good Georgia Tech’s coach is. Delaware is a 1-AA power. The Blue Hens produced a #1 draft pick at QB two years ago in Joe Flacco. This year they boast Penn State QB transfer Pat Devlin.

Texas Bowl November 7th Weekend

As the college football regular season enters its final month, the potential pairing for the Texas Bowl is becoming a little more clear as well. The Naval Academy needs just one more win in its final four games to wrap up a bowl bid, while Texas win over Oklahoma State last week likely ensures that only Texas will receive a BCS bowl bid. The Big 12 invitation for the Texas Bowl could go to any number of teams, most notably Nebraska who travels in droves and would be a huge boost to the hotels and restaurants in the Houston area.
Kudos to the sales staff of The Texas Bowl and the Houston area football fans for pushing the 45,000 seats sold threshold this week. It is hard work and support like this that will continue to build this great event.http://texasbowl.org/news/news_detail/tickets_on_sale

Onto this week’s action….

Big 12 This Week
Saturday November 7th

(5-3) Central Florida @ (8-0) #2 Texas

Texas moved past Alabama into second in the BCS standings after last week's 41-14 win over then-No. 13 Oklahoma State. The Longhorns picked the Cowboys off four times, nearly a year after their defense faltered in a stunning last-second loss at Texas Tech that cost them a shot at the national title. For the first time since their championship season, the Longhorns will play all of their November games in their home state. After hosting the Knights, they travel to Baylor, host Kansas and face Texas A&M on the road.

The Longhorns begin the month against a team that nearly upset them two seasons ago.In the only meeting between the schools, Texas pulled out a 35-32 road win Sept. 15, 2007, rallying after trailing by one in the fourth quarter. Central Florida scored a touchdown with 35 seconds left and forced Texas to recover the final onside kick.

Central Florida could again prove to be a tough opponent. The Golden Knights boast the nation's seventh-best rush defense at 87.8 yards per game and are sixth with 3.3 sacks a contest. Two of their losses, road defeats to Southern Miss and East Carolina, came by a combined 12 points. Central Florida, though, needed a last-minute touchdown to beat Marshall 21-20 on Sunday night. Central Florida will face the top-scoring team in the nation and third-best defensive squad this week. Texas is averaging 41.0 points and giving up 240.8 yards per game. The Longhorns also own the country's best rush defense, giving up 52.9 yards a game on the ground.

(5-3) Kansas @ (5-3) Kansas State

Instate rivals face off in Manhattan this weekend, as the Kansas Jayhawks clash with the Kansas State Wildcats in Big 12 play at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The Jayhawks enter the game mired in a slump, as they have dropped three straight decisions following a promising 5-0 start. It has been a far fall for a club that was nationally ranked for most of the season and Kansas is now out to avoid its first four-game slide since the middle of 2006. Most recently, the Jayhawks were handled by Texas Tech, 42-21, over the weekend, dropping them tot 1-3 in the Big 12 and keeping them from bowl eligibility.

As for KSU, it too is coming off a setback, falling 42-30 at nationally-ranked Oklahoma on Halloween. It was the fourth loss in as many road games for the Wildcats, who had their two-game win streak snapped. KSU however, sports a perfect 4-0 mark at home and its 3-2 league ledger is good enough for the top spot in the North Division standings.

This marks the 107th meeting between the instate foes, with the Jayhawks owning a 65-36-5 lead in the head-to-head series. Kansas has won three straight and four of the past five meetings, including a 51-21 trouncing in Lawrence last season.

(5-3) Texas A&M @ (2-6) Colorado

The Texas A&M Aggies have been rolling along over the past couple of weeks, and they'll look to keep it going this weekend when they head to Folsom Field for a Big 12 clash with the struggling Colorado Buffaloes. Texas A&M followed up its 22-point win over 21st-ranked Texas Tech two weeks ago with a thorough 35-10 triumph over Iowa State on Halloween. Coach Mike Sherman said after the game that he felt his team's confidence has been growing over the last few weeks. The Aggies will wrap up the road portion of their schedule at Oklahoma, before closing out the regular season at home against Baylor and Texas.

While the Aggies' confidence is soaring, the Buffaloes are still searching for answers after last week's 36-17 loss to Missouri. The loss was their second straight, and fourth over the last five games. The Buffs need to win out to become bowl eligible, and they'll head to Iowa State and Oklahoma State in the coming weeks, leading up to a home finale with Nebraska.

Colorado has a 5-3 edge in the head-to-head series, although Texas A&M won last year's meeting in College Station.

(3-5) Baylor @ (5-3) Missouri

The Missouri Tigers go for their second Big 12 win in a row this weekend, as they entertain the struggling Baylor Bears at Faurot Field in Columbia.

The Tigers finally snapped out of their funk and in the process captured their first Big 12 victory of the campaign, a 36-17 triumph at Colorado last weekend. The win put an end to a three-game slide, all against league foes, and pushed Missouri to 5-3 on the season. With one more victory, the two-time defending Big 12 North champs would become bowl eligible for a school record fifth consecutive season. A sixth win doesn't guarantee the Tigers of reaching a bowl, but it does put them in position to participate in the postseason.

As for the Bears, they come into the weekend riding the wave of a four-game losing skid, with each setback coming in Big 12 play. Last weekend, Baylor was defeated by Nebraska, 20-10, as it suffered its 10th straight loss in the series. The Bears, who haven't beaten Nebraska since 1956, are now just 3-5 on the season. The all-time series between Baylor and Missouri is led by the Tigers, 10-2, and they are a perfect 7-0 against the Bears since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996.

(6-2) #19 Oklahoma State @ (5-4) Iowa State

The home team has taken the last four meetings in this series, with Iowa State winning 28-14 in 2001 and 37-10 in 2005, the Cowboys' last two visits to Ames.
That may not bode well for Oklahoma State, which suffered its first conference loss last Saturday, 41-14 to then-No. 3 Texas. The Cowboys fell for the 12th straight time to the Longhorns, the only unbeaten team in the South Division. Robinson threw a career-high four interceptions and completed 15 of 28 passes for 143 yards. His lone touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

The Cowboys would like to see Robinson play like he did in last season's 59-17 rout of Iowa State in Stillwater. He threw for a career-high five scores and 395 yards.Robinson needs 75 yards passing to break coach Mike Gundy's school record of 7,997.
Iowa State leads the conference in rushing at more than 200 yards per game and returns starting QB Austin Arnaud (sprained wrist) for the 1st time in two weeks.
The Cyclones may have a better chance of reaching the Big 12 title game than the Cowboys do despite their losing record in the Big 12. Iowa State, trailing Kansas State by one game in the North, can become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2005 on Saturday
(5-3) #24 Oklahoma @ (5-3) Nebraska

The Battle of the Big Reds has been a bit unbalanced lately and Bob Stoops likes it that way. While Nebraska has been rebuilding, Stoops has been able to win four straight games in the series and keep the No. 20 Sooners among the nation's top teams headed into Saturday night's game with the Huskers.

Instead of the rivalry determining the conference champion -- as it did 31 times in 36 years in the Big Eight -- and even a national championship, the game has had less panache in recent years. There was the series' second "Game of the Century" in 2000 and the teams met for the Big 12 title in 2006, but it's been nothing like the days of Barry Switzer vs. Tom Osborne in the 1970s and '80s. This time, both teams are just trying to make up ground in the divisional standings. It's the fourth straight time Nebraska enters the rivalry unranked and, before that, Oklahoma was outside the Top 25 for six of eight meetings in the 1990s.

Oklahoma won 62-28 last year in Bo Pelini's debut in the rivalry. Franks intercepted Joe Ganz's first pass and returned it for a touchdown, and Oklahoma opened a 28-0 lead in the first 5 1/2 minutes. The Sooners' final point total was their highest ever in the series.

Navy This Week

(6-3) Navy @ (6-2) #22 Notre Dame

Historically, the match up with Navy has been all but a guaranteed win for the Irish, who had a 43-game winning streak in the series before the last meeting at Notre Dame Stadium. On Nov. 3, 2007, the Midshipmen broke the skid with a 46-44, three-overtime win in South Bend. Notre Dame answered with a 27-21 road win last Nov. 15, but almost lost a 20-point lead in the final two minutes after Navy recovered a pair of onside kicks.

The undersized Midshipmen enter the 83rd meeting with Notre Dame on the brink of another bowl berth behind coach Ken Niumatalolo's triple-option offense, which ranks third nationally in rushing with 279.8 yards per game.

Junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs has thrown just 66 passes all season, and without him Oct. 24 against Wake Forest, Navy did not attempt a pass. Dobbs saw only limited action against Temple as he returns from a knee injury, but he still leads the team with 170 carries and has scored more touchdowns -- 16 -- than any other player in the nation.
Last year, the Irish bottled up Dobbs for 27 yards on 13 carries.

Coming off its most productive offensive performance in four seasons, Notre Dame now welcomes back one of its most important weapons. Wide Receiver Michael Floyd will provide QB Jimmy Claussen with another big target as the 19th-ranked Fighting Irish continue their quest for a BCS bowl appearance Saturday against visiting Navy.

Notre Dame left little doubt in a 40-14 drubbing of lowly Washington State in San Antonio last Saturday. Clausen was 22 of 27 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, guiding an offense that rolled up 592 total yards -- the program's most since gaining 663 in a 38-31 win at Stanford on Nov. 26, 2005.