FARGO-It appears the ankle of North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz is healed enough for him to start Saturday's home opener against Weber State (Utah). At the same time, head coach Chris Klieman said backup Easton Stick "has to be ready to go."

Wentz suffered a sprained ankle in the season opener two weeks ago at the University of Montana. He sat out of practice all last week, but Klieman said his senior moved around pretty well on Wednesday.

"The plan is to play him right now," he said.

Wentz did not practice on Thursday, but Klieman said that was more to give him a rest. He said head football trainer Bobby Knodel "feels he's ready to play."

Wentz was 16 of 28 passing for 198 yards, but his effectiveness waned in the fourth quarter when his mobility was limited. He was injured on a quarterback sack when he tried to wiggle out of a tackle.

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Stick, a redshirt freshman, has yet to take a collegiate snap. He was given the nod as the top backup over sophomore Cole Davis, although both took most of the practice repetitions since the Montana game.

Klieman said he's not settled on his kicking situation, saying he'll watch the pre-game warmups of senior Ben LeCompte and freshman Cam Pedersen. LeCompte, the senior punter, did double duty against the Grizzlies for the first time in his career.

"I still think both are going to kick," Klieman said. "I don't know if it will be the first PAT or field goal or kickoff."