Irish nose guard Ian Williams out 4-6 weeks

SOUTH BEND -- Notre Dame nose guard Ian Williams will miss 4-6 weeks with a knee injury, Irish coach Brian Kelly announced Tuesday at his weekly press conference. Word of Williams missing time first surfaced late Monday. "It seems to be the worst kept secret in America," Kelly said. Williams injured his knee in last Saturday's 35-17 loss to Navy. Kelly said the injury is an MCL strain and it will not require surgery. Kelly said that he is hopeful that wide receiver Michael Floyd (hamstring) will return this week against Tulsa, and is also hopeful about inside linebacker Carlo Calabrese, who injured a hamstring last Saturday. Starting receiver Theo Riddick, who missed the Navy game, is out another 3-4 weeks. Safety Jamoris Slaughter, out with a heel injury, is listed as possible for Saturday's game. Williams is fifth on the team with 37 tackles. The depth chart released Tuesday had backup Sean Cwynar moving into the starting job with backup defensive end Hafis Williams sliding over to nose guard to back up Cwynar. With Hafis Williams at nose guard, freshman Kona Schwenke is now listed as the backup to Ethan Johnson at defensive end. Kelly said Schwenke, who has not played this year, will play this weekend rather than sit and preserve a year of eligibility. "He's gotta help us win games," Kelly said. The 4-4 Irish get their next chance Saturday when they host 4-3 Tulsa, which brings to Notre Dame a high-powered offense. "I think the biggest thing is, don't let Navy influence what you do against Tulsa," Kelly said. The Golden Hurricane are led by quarterback G.J. Kinne. "He reminds me of Brett Favre out there," Kelly said. Notre Dame hosts Tulsa Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (Eastern). The game will air on NBC.