Floyd, Smith out for ND's final 2 pre-bowl games

By TOM COYNE, AP Sports Writer

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Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd, right, celebrates with tight end Kyle Rudolph after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against Pittsburgh during a NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Nov 16, 2008 at 7:48 PM EST

Story Updated: Nov 16, 2008 at 7:48 PM EST

SOUTH BEND (AP) — Wide receiver Michael Floyd and linebacker Brian Smith, both key players for Notre Dame this season, will miss the final two regular-season games against Syracuse and No. 6 USC because of knee injuries.

Coach Charlie Weis said both sustained knee strains in Notre Dame's 27-21 victory against Navy on Saturday. Floyd, a freshman who leads the Irish with 46 catches overall and seven TD catches, injured his left knee on the third play of the game against the Midshipmen. Smith, a sophomore who is fourth on the team with 53 tackles, injured his right knee in the first quarter.

Both should be ready to play if the Irish (6-4), who became bowl-eligible with the win Saturday, play in a bowl. Both should be ready to play in about four weeks, Weis said.

The loss of Floyd, who has 702 receiving yards, could be bad news for receiver Golden Tate. With Navy's secondary focusing on Tate, who has 43 catches for 742 yards, he was held without a catch for the first time this season.

Notre Dame's next game will be against a Syracuse squad (2-8) that on Sunday learned its coach Greg Robinson has been fired. Robinson, who is 9-36 in four seasons, will coach the final two games for the Orange.

Weis said the firing could make the game against the Orange more dangerous because Robinson and his staff have nothing to lose.

"You can coach loose. You know, you want to call five flea flickers in a game? Go ahead and call them. What are they going to say? You want to blitz on every down? You want to rush three in on every down? Go ahead and do it," he said.

Weis said the biggest unknown is how the Syracuse players will react.

"The team could rally or they could be dispirited. I think as a coach from the opponent team, you've got to count on them rallying," he said.

Weis is coming off a week of going through the wringer himself, with some fans and some in the media calling for him to be fired after the Irish played poorly in a 17-0 loss to Boston College a week earlier. The emotion could be seen in how Weis' 15-year-old son, Charlie Jr., hugged his father on the sideline immediately after a pass by Navy's Ricky Dobbs sailed high in the closing seconds. That allowed the Irish to survive Navy recovering two onsides kicks a year after the Midshipmen ended a 43-game losing streak to Notre Dame.

Weis said his son had two words for him: "Thank God."

"I said, 'We had it all the way, Charlie,'" Weis said, smiling. "But I said it in jest. I think that 'thank God' might have been the appropriate response at the time."

Weis said the past week was harder on his son and his wife, Maura, and the families of his assistant coaches than on the coaches themselves. Weis said he and his assistants are so busy preparing for games they are able to avoid some of the media reports, although he saw enough of it to say he thought some of it was unfair.

"I think when things are not going well football-wise, you as the head coach should feel that you are open to scrutiny football-wise. I think it comes with the territory," he said.

But Weis said some of the criticisms were personal and crossed a line.

"When they personally attack you, I think it's just out of line, and I think it's irresponsible and I think it's really immature," he said.

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