Scouting: Navy @ Notre Dame

Navy (6-3) at Notre Dame (6-2)

When: 1:42 p.m. at Notre Dame Stadium

TV: Channel 5; Radio: WLS 890-AM

Series: Notre Dame leads 71-10-1.

Coaches: Ken Niumatalolo (14-8, second year at Navy); Charlie Weis (35-23, fifth year at Notre Dame).

Players to watch: Navy junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs owns 16 touchdowns this year, which ties him with NIU RB Chad Spann for the national lead. Dobbs leads the Midshipmen in rushing (584 yards) while he throws about 9 times per game with OK results (33 of 66, 618 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INT). Junior FB Vince Murray owns three consecutive 100-yard games and has carried the ball 85 times in the last three weeks. ILB Ross Pospisil leads the defense with 65 stops.

Notre Dame junior QB Jimmy Clausen breezed through his Washington State test (22-for-27, 268 yards, 2 TDs) and now will appear even smarter with the return of game-breaking sophomore WR Michael Floyd. He caught 13 passes for 358 yards and 5 scores before breaking his collarbone in Week 3 against Michigan State. In his five-game absence, WR Golden Tate snagged 37 passes for 626 yards and 6 TDs.

The skinny: Everyone knows the deal with Navy. The Midshipmen rank third nationally in rushing (279.8 ypg) and figure to be that much better with Dobbs' return. He missed all but two minutes the last two weeks in order to let a knee injury heal. The Midshipmen's only losses with a healthy Dobbs were at No. 16 Ohio State (31-27) and at No. 13 Pittsburgh (27-14). The Irish are at No. 22 in the BCS standings and need to win out in order to claim a BCS bowl bid.