Head coach Ken Niumatalolo said after practice on Monday night that Ricky Dobbs would start on Saturday against Notre Dame. Dobbs said he "feels great" and would be "100 percent" ready to go by the time the 2:30 p.m. kickoff rolls around.

    Dobbs said his right knee, which has a cracked bone, felt a little "tight" during conditioning drills on Monday -- primarily because he's been resting that leg so much over the past two weeks.

    "By all means," Dobbs said when asked if he would be able to play to his full potential on Saturday.

    Dobbs said this game is "personal" because his roommate, Patrick Staub, is a diehard Notre Dame fan who showcases all sorts of Fighting Irish posters and other memorabilia in their dormitory room. "Me and his family are real cool. They said they would be rooting for me, but that their hearts were still with Notre Dame."

    Dobbs admitted he needed a full week of practice repetitions in order to get himself back to game speed as far as running the triple-option. Despite sitting out the entire Wake Forest contest and appearing in just seven plays versus Temple, Dobbs remains the team’s second-leading rusher with 595 yards and still leads the nation with 16 rushing touchdowns.

   “When you sit out two weeks, I don’t think you’re ever at full capacity,” Niumatalolo said of Dobbs. “We’ll try to get him into good shape and hopefully he’ll get a full week of practice.”

    "I do need to get my timing and rhythm down as far as pitching the ball. Today, I felt better as far as running and pitching without hesitating," Dobbs said.