29°Good evening
The field at Yankee Stadium is shown converted for Saturday's...

The field at Yankee Stadium is shown converted for Saturday's NCAA college football match-up between Notre Dame and Army. (Nov. 17, 2010) Credit: AP

The tradition-soaked facade of Yankee Stadium will serve as the backdrop for one of college football's most historic rivalries.

Two of the sport's most prestigious programs will battle Saturday night in the Bronx when Notre Dame hosts Army at 7:30 p.m., the first college football game at the new stadium.

"It's one of those iconic things - Notre Dame football, Army football, Yankee Stadium - that's American sport," Army coach Rich Ellerson said this week. "All three of those things on the same day? Wow, what a neat opportunity. We'll try to get our arms around that this week, use that to the degree we can be as good as we can be in the practice environment. Then we're going to step across that white line and play football."

Saturday's evening matchup will mark the 50th meeting between the universities, with Notre Dame having a 37-8-4 series lead. The Irish defeated the Black Knights, 41-9, in South Bend, Ind., in their last meeting in 2006.

The Irish (5-5) may be the favorites to win this particular game, given their advantage in talent. But the pressure still is on. Not only does Notre Dame need one more win to become bowl eligible, but the Irish close out their regular season at USC next week.

Despite a disappointing season, which included losses to both Navy and Tulsa, the unranked Irish upset Utah, 28-3, last Saturday without starting quarterback Dayne Crist and starting running back Armando Allen, both out for the season.

The Black Knights, on the other hand, earned their first bowl appearance since 1966, and only their fifth all-time, with a 45-28 win over Kent State last weekend.

The challenge for Notre Dame on Saturday will be stopping Army's triple-option offense. The Black Knights (6-4) likely won't shred Notre Dame's porous defense like Navy, which rushed for 367 rushing yards, compared with just 106 by the Irish, in the Midshipmen's 35-17 victory at New Meadowlands Stadium on Oct. 23. But Army does feature the nation's eighth-ranked rushing attack, at 272.8 yards per contest.

"Army [has] an offense that really hasn't been stopped this year," Notre Dame's first-year coach Brian Kelly said. "Nobody can claim that."

The Irish have one of the best college wide receivers in the game in junior Michael Floyd, who has compiled 767 receiving yards and nine touchdowns despite missing the Navy game with a hamstring injury. But perhaps the more telling statistic is this: Notre Dame has just the 66th best rushing defense in the nation, allowing 155.2 yards per game on the ground.

SUBSCRIBE

Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months

ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME