SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — A trip home to the San Diego suburb of Rancho Bernardo, which was hard hit by wildfires, helped Notre Dame tight end Will Yeatman put this disappointing season into perspective.

"It lets you know there are bigger things in life," Yeatman said.

Yeatman's parents were evacuated from their home for three days. They went to stay at a friend's house in Del Mar, but were evacuated the next day because of fires there. They then went to stay with their daughter at San Diego State. Yeatman said his family got back into their home about an hour before he got home Oct. 24 for fall break.

"My town got pretty much destroyed," he said. "It really was unbelievable. It's something you don't want to see, especially in the town you've grown up in. You just see all the hills, they look like Mars. They're completely black."

Yeatman's house, though, survived the fire.

"The fire burned right up to my fence," Yeatman said. "My dad doesn't know why our house didn't burn down."

The family's pool was damaged and the family spent last Thursday cleaning up. The fire near his house was out by the time he arrived home, but Yeatman saw many wildfires burning as his plane approached the airport.

"There were fires burning everywhere," he said. "It was absolutely surreal."

Yeatman felt helpless at practice early last week while waiting to get home.

"I didn't want to leave my team, obviously, but you feel like you need to be able to help with someone," he said.

Yeatman estimates he knows about 25 to 30 family members and close friends who lost their homes.

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RECRUITING UPDATE: Coach Charlie Weis said the Irish coaches had a successful week of recruiting during the bye week, with Weis and his nine assistants heading out on the road for at least part of the week. Only seven coaches are allowed on the road at a time under NCAA rules.

"We blanketed the country pretty well," Weis said. "We basically got to see everyone we needed to see."

The Notre Dame staff has used up its allotted travel time for the season. All that is left are some official visits by recruits during the final three home games.

Although Weis can't comment on specific recruits, the Irish received two more verbal commitments last week from tailback Jonas Gray of Southfield, Mich., and receiver Michael Floyd from St. Paul, Minn. The Irish have 21 verbal commitments for next season.

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BY THE NUMBERS: Notre Dame hasn't punted against Navy since 2004. The Irish scored on six of nine possessions each of the past two seasons. ... The Midshipmen, though, are on pace to break the NCAA record for fewest punts. They have nine punts in eight games, an average of 1.1 per game. The record of 1.2 punts per game was set last year by Hawaii. ... The only teams Navy has held to fewer than 400 total yards are Temple (273) in the opener and Air Force (274). The only game in which Notre Dame had more than 400 yards total offense this year was against Purdue with 426 yards. ... Navy is 22-2 when scoring first, with both losses coming in overtime.

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CALENDAR ITEMS: Notre Dame will hold its annual banquet on Dec. 7. Former Irish offensive tackle Aaron Taylor, who won the Lombardi Award as the nation's top college lineman in 1993, will be the feature speaker. ... The annual Blue-Gold game held at the conclusion of spring practice will be played April 19, 2008.

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INJURY UPDATE: Tailback James Aldridge, who sustained a high ankle sprain against Boston College and missed the USC game, is expected to play against Navy.

"My ankle is fine now," Aldridge said. "I was running fine today, making all the cuts I'm used to making."

Aldridge leads the Irish in rushing with 249 yards on 67 carries, an average of 3.7 yards a carry.

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WEIS SAYINGS: "Anyone who takes Navy lightly, especially with the firepower they show on offense, can find themselves on the short end of the stick real easily." — Charlie Weis.