Notre Dame looked pedestrian for a half. Then, the Irish showed why they’re among the favorites to take home a College Football Playoff title.
No. 5 Notre Dame scored twice within two minutes to start the third quarter to turn a three-point lead into a rout and cruise to a 41-13 win against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on Sunday night. It wasn’t perfect for Notre Dame, but it’s a win against a power-conference school. Considering the Irish dropped their season opener last year to Miami (Fla.), which ultimately cost them a CFP berth, the outcome was worth the early angst.
Here are a few takeaways for both Notre Dame (1-0) and Wisconsin (0-1).
Does Notre Dame have a run game problem?
Yes, losing two first-round picks at running back was always going to be an issue for Notre Dame. It’s just that the Irish were expected to have more than they showed on Sunday night at Lambeau Field. Not only did Notre Dame’s offense lack the explosiveness of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, it couldn’t create a spark of any kind with its replacements.
Notre Dame tried three different backs — Aneyas Williams, Nolan James Jr. and Kedren Young — with varying levels of ineffectiveness. None of the three even averaged five yards per carry. And the Irish didn’t have a double-digit yard run until the fourth quarter. Notre Dame had failed to post a double-digit yard carry just once in Marcus Freeman’s 55 games in charge: the national championship game loss to Ohio State.
Wisconsin may be improved, but it is not a title contender.
Notre Dame’s offensive line was part of the problem too, with center Ashton Craig the only starter returning at his same position. The Irish tried Styles Prescod at right guard in a first career start, only to pull him for Sullivan Absher in the second half. Tackles Will Black and Guerby Lambert held up in pass protection, but Notre Dame struggled to reset the line of scrimmage most of the game.
Considering how much Freeman likes to talk about the program being led by its two lines, does Notre Dame have enough on offense to help the run game find its groove? The Irish won’t face a defense as good as the Badgers’ until mid-October, so there’s time to get this sorted out. But what Notre Dame’s run game put on tape in the season opener was concerning, if not outright alarming.
Irish defense lives up to its hype
Other than the quarterback, the biggest reason to believe Notre Dame is a national title contender is its defense. Nothing that happened on Sunday night should shake that faith. With the exception of cornerback Jayden Sanders falling for a play-action fake in the first half that turned into a 28-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Coleman, Wisconsin’s revamped offense offered little that tested Notre Dame.
DJ McKinney posted a 55-yard pick-six in the second half to break the game open. Quarterback Colton Joseph was supposed to be a dual threat but didn’t challenge Notre Dame much on the ground or through the air, finishing with 12 carries for 3 yards and completing 19-of-30 passes for 217 yards. Wisconsin’s leading rusher Abu Sama III finished with 15 carries for 49 yards. The Badgers didn’t post a run longer than eight yards.
If there’s an issue for Notre Dame on defense, it might be availability after losing safety Brauntae Johnson and defensive tackle Jayson Onye to lower-body injuries. It’s not clear when either is expected to return, not that Wisconsin did much to test their backups.
Considering Notre Dame’s upcoming schedule of Rice, Michigan State and Purdue this month, it’s hard to know who’s going to test this defense, which also went through Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa on Sunday night as he continues to recover from last season’s ACL.
Notre Dame may have some issues to get sorted on offense, but defensive coordinator Chris Ash hit the ground running on his side of the ball. After how last season started with losses to Miami and Texas A&M as the defense struggled, picking up where the defense left off is significant.
Mixed reviews for Colton Joseph
Only once in the last three decades has Wisconsin featured a high-level quarterback when Russell Wilson guided the Badgers to a Big Ten title in 2011. So many of Wisconsin’s better teams had pedestrian quarterbacks, let alone recently, when it has struggled to reach .500.
Wisconsin entered the portal seeking a quarterback for the fourth consecutive season and came away with Colton Joseph, the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in 2025 at Old Dominion. Joseph threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 1,007 yards and 13 scores last year and brings a dual-threat option the Badgers haven’t had since Wilson.
In his debut performance against Notre Dame, Joseph brought mixed reviews, which fits in with other recent Wisconsin quarterbacks. Joseph completed 19 of 30 passes for 217 yards but ran for only 3 yards on 12 carries. He found former Nebraska and Minnesota wide receiver Malachi Coleman wide open for a 28-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. But in the third quarter, Joseph threw a devastating pick six to McKinney, putting the Badgers down 17 points.
That’s not to say Joseph won’t exceed the Badgers’ run of quarterback mediocrity out of the transfer portal, in which injuries played a major role. In 2023, Tanner Mordecai broke his hand midway through the season while Tyler Van Dyke suffered an ACL tear in Wisconsin’s third game in 2024. Last year, Billy Edwards Jr. played in only two games and the Badgers threw nine touchdowns, 13 interceptions and averaged just 136.4 yards per game. But for Wisconsin to improve from 135th in scoring offense and total offense, it needs Joseph to resemble what he was at Old Dominion, not what the Badgers have trotted out previously under coach Luke Fickell.
Fickell’s job status
Fickell entered the season opener approaching the coaching hot seat after consecutive losing seasons that included blowout losses to rivals Iowa and Minnesota the last two seasons. Despite the lopsided final score, this outcome shouldn’t have much bearing on his job status. Wisconsin was a 21-point underdog and hadn’t reached a bowl game since 2023.
What impacts Fickell’s evaluation with new athletic director Shawn Eichorst will come later this season. The Badgers face the easiest Big Ten schedule based on the 2025 win-loss record with their opponents going 28-53 in league action last year. At a minimum, Wisconsin should reach a bowl game. If not, it will be difficult for Fickell to remain in place. Where he needs to make strides comes against Iowa and Minnesota, the Badgers’ permanent Big Ten rivals.
Iowa has beaten Wisconsin four straight times, with the last two coming by a combined score of 79-10. Minnesota has won three of the last four against the Badgers, and the last two by double figures. Those games, along with the winnable contests against Big Ten opponents, will determine whether Fickell sticks around for another year or if the Badgers will pay about $20 million after the season to move on from him.
