Notre Dame's McKnight eager to show his talents

The Irish receiver missed the last 10 games of the 2005 season.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Notre Dame wide receiver Rhema McKnight is eager to see how productive he can be in Charlie Weis' offense.
So is the second-year coach of the Fighting Irish. With a healthy McKnight running patterns, the Irish offense could be that much better this season.
The senior, who went into last season as Notre Dame's top receiver -- ahead of second-team All-America Jeff Samardzija and third-round NFL draft pick Maurice Stovall -- is back from a right knee injury that forced him to miss the final 10 games.
"He is in a lot better shape now than in game two last year because he's on a mission," Weis said. "He's had a long time to get ready for this."
Watched turn around
McKnight watched Weis turn the Notre Dame offense, which struggled for three years under coach Tyrone Willingham, into one of the most potent in the nation. The coach transformed Samardzija into a well-known name, Brady Quinn into a Heisman Trophy contender, and the Irish into the nation's second-ranked team heading into this season.
Notre Dame had the best passing season in school history, averaging 330 yards a game. McKnight was happy for his teammates, but concedes he had a hard time watching them. He had hoped to make it back before the season ended, but had several setbacks.
"It was very heartbreaking at times," he said. "I had to accept the fact that I was injured and couldn't come back and play. I just had to rehab and just try to keep pushing and keep trying to make myself better."
Weis believes the time on the sideline helped McKnight.
"Because you get to watch all those things that happen. He got to watch the offense put in and watch how those plays you put in are now called in games and watch the production that comes from it," Weis said.
McKnight saw Samardzija and Stovall develop into the best receiving tandem in Notre Dame history. Samardzija's 77 catches tied the school record for a season, while Stovall's 69 receptions placed him third.
Still ninth on career list
McKnight is ninth on Notre Dame's career list with 103 career catches -- two more than Samardzija -- for 1,370 yards and seven touchdowns. He could prove to be even more potent than Stovall since he possesses a different trait that Weis describes as "quicks."
"Rhema has quickness. He has exceptional quickness. Now it's a whole different element you're dealing with because Rhema can get open on quicks," Weis said.
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