Game To Watch: Wisconsin vs #12 Notre Dame: September 25, 2021

Wisconsin and Notre Dame will face off in Chicago this Saturday at 12:00 EST. The Badgers opened the season with a loss to Penn State in a defensive struggle but bounced back with a comfortable win over Eastern Michigan before an early bye last week. Notre Dame is 3 – 0, but has not really impressed in any of their wins, playing close games against Florida State, Toledo and Purdue. Both teams need to play well and build some momentum for the season.

Recent History

Notre Dame has gone 8 – 6 – 2 against Wisconsin all time, but the last meeting between the two teams came in 1964. With over 50 years having gone by since the last meeting there is no recent history between the two teams.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Jack Coan vs Graham Mertz

Jack Coan will face his former team and his former understudy on Saturday. He led Wisconsin to the Big Ten Championship game in 2019 and a Rose Bowl appearance, but hurt his foot before the 2020 season and was replaced by Graham Mertz. Coan transferred to Notre Dame and as fate would have it for the first time in over 50 years the two teams will play one another on Saturday. Coan has played well early this season and will look to have a big game against his former team. He has completed over 62 percent of his passes, is averaging 8.4 yards per attempt and has an 8 to 2 touchdown to interception ratio. He’s been a great leader for his team, including having his finger reset after being dislocated, then throwing the game winning touchdown against Toledo. Mertz replaced Coan after the injury in 2020 and started hot against Illinois, but never regained that magic. In 2021 he is averaging just 6 yards per attempt and has thrown two interceptions but no touchdowns. He has the physical ability but has struggled mightily to harness it. Coan and Mertz will get the opportunity to prove who is better on the field this weekend and lead their team to a big win.

Can Wisconsin’s Running Attack Carry the Offense?

Wisconsin having a strong running game is one of the safest bets in college football. The 2021 edition of the Badgers struggled a bit against Penn State but got the ground game going against Eastern Michigan. They are averaging 266 rushing yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this season. With Mertz struggling to move the ball in the passing game, Wisconsin will need their offensive line and trio of running backs to set the tone on offense. Notre Dame struggled to stop the run against Florida State, but that was mostly due to the mobility of the quarterback and the challenges that presented. They were better against Toledo and then had their best performance against Purdue allowing just 57 rushing yards at 2.3 yards per carry. Purdue and Toledo are not Wisconsin when it comes to running the football so this will be a tougher task than the last two games. It’s no secret Wisconsin wants to establish the running game, the question is can Notre Dame stop them from doing that?

Is Notre Dame’s Offensive Line Ready For Wisconsin’s Pressure?

Notre Dame’s offensive line has struggled protecting the quarterback early on this season. In three games the Fighting Irish have allowed 14 sacks and 27 total tackles for loss. The penetration opposing defenses are getting is keeping the offense from establishing a consistent rhythm during the game. With left tackle Blake Fisher out because of injury, Notre Dame lost a key player on their offensive line early and has not been able to gel as an offensive line. Wisconsin creates pressure by confusing the offensive line with different pressure packages from their odd front. Jim Leonhard will send different players on blitzes to overwhelm the offensive line in certain areas, while other blockers are left with no one to block. The confusion creates negative plays and helps Wisconsin keep offenses off schedule and makes them more predictable. Notre Dame needs the offensive line to play a good game for the Fighting Irish to have success moving the ball against the Wisconsin defense.

Prediction

The defenses appear to have the advantage heading into this game. Wisconsin will give Notre Dame’s offensive line trouble and create disruption in the backfield. Wisconsin may move the ball some with their running game, but Kyle Hamilton patrolling the secondary against Graham Mertz is a scary thought. Wisconsin has lost too many of these close games over the last year and Notre Dame has proven they can find a way to win. That will be the difference on Saturday. Notre Dame 20 Wisconsin 17.

NDFB_ Clemson_11.7.20-8-1 Image taken by TigerNet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

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