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Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from massive win over No. 18 Wisconsin

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 25, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (right) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Braden Lenzy (0) and tight end George Takacs (85) during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (right) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Braden Lenzy (0) and tight end George Takacs (85) during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Everyone expected a great game between Wisconsin and Notre Dame football and we got exactly that on Saturday afternoon from Soldier Field in Chicago.

Through three quarters, the game was tied at 10-10 and it was a defensive battle, but the fourth quarter started out with some fireworks. Wisconsin kicked a field goal to take a 13-10 lead less than a minute into the fourth and then on the ensuing kickoff, Chris Tyree returned it 96 yards for a touchdown to give the Irish a 17-13 lead.

This had the makings of an instant classic and college football fans were treated to a heck of a finish.

Notre Dame strip-sacked Graham Mertz later in the fourth quarter which led to another score to put the Irish up 24-13. A second Cam Hart interception iced the game for the Irish in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame would go on to add 17 more points on two pick-sixes in a rout.

Brian Kelly is now the all-time winningest coach at Notre Dame.

What did we learn from the Irish’s big win?

3. It’s time to be concerned about the run game

A year ago, Kyren Williams had over 1,000 rushing yards as the Irish were able to move the ball on the ground with relative ease. Ian Book helped that with his dual-threat ability and that’s been sorely lacking with Jack Coan and a new-look line.

Through four games now, the Irish have left a lot to be desired in the run game.

Notre Dame had a nightmare performance on the ground against Wisconsin on Saturday — although the Badgers do have one of the best defenses in the country. The Irish finished with three (!!) yards on 32 carries which was good for just a 0.1 (!!) yards per carry average.

We didn’t see many chunk plays on the ground from the Irish and that’s becoming a serious problem for this offense. It’s time to be truly concerned.

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