SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Matt Shelton looks forward to playing Saturday against his home-state school, one that once recruited him. But it's not a grudge match.

Shelton, a former standout at Collierville High School in West Tennessee, is a fifth-year senior receiver at Notre Dame. With 16 catches, he's just one of many targets for star quarterback Brady Quinn.

"I was never a Tennessee fan,'' Shelton said, "and every time they came to Memphis I rooted against them.''

But that didn't stop Shelton from being interested when Tennessee recruited him. He came for a visit to see the 2000 Florida game in Neyland Stadium, the one that ended with the Gators winning on a controversial TD catch.

"I was right there in the front row of the end zone,'' he said. "I don't know if it was a catch or not.''

UT's serious interest in Shelton ended, he said, when he suffered a knee injury at Collierville.

"They did what a lot of schools did,'' he said. "They wrote a letter wishing me well.

"The position they were in, I would have probably done the same thing. It's completely understandable.''

Notre Dame, then in the coach Bob Davie regime, hung in there and Shelton jumped at the chance to be a part of the Notre Dame tradition.

He caught 20 passes last year, six for touchdowns, although none came in his return to Neyland Stadium, a 17-13 Irish victory.

"Deafening,'' is the way Shelton remembers the visit. "An amazing place to play football.''

This year he's had to battle his way back into the rotation after another injury.

Like everyone else associated with the high-flying Notre Dame offense, he sees Tennessee's defense as a terrific challenge.

"They've allowed only three passing touchdowns all year,'' Shelton said. "That's something we haven't faced, DBs that are this good, this fast and this talented.

"So we can't take anything for granted, even though their numbers are 3-4. They're darn good.''

Wolke No. 2: David Wolke, a sophomore from Smyrna, Tenn., is the back-up quarterback behind Quinn. Wolke has appeared in four games. He was not available to the media this week.