SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is hoping the Fighting Irish won’t feel quite at home Saturday in Texas.

He believes the novelty of traveling to San Antonio for a game at the Alamodome will help the Irish guard against complacency against a Washington State (1-6) team that is struggling.

“This is the first time we’ve gone through one of these neutral-site games, and just the intrigue about how this is going to play out is exciting in its own right,” he said.

Notre Dame is expecting to play in front of a heavily Irish crowd. As of midday Tuesday, more than 50,000 tickets had been sold, most of them to Notre Dame fans, said Josh Berlo , assistant athletic director.

Senior running back Giovanni Bernard (St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) committed. Bernard is ranked in the top 50 nationally but has been slowed by hamstring issues this season. “He is as good as any we have had,” Aquinas coach George Smith told the South Bend Tribune.