The Notre Dame Football program will take on Wisconsin inside Soldier Field in 2021, and it has all the markings of being a dogfight.
Notre Dame Football and Wisconsin have played 16 times, and the Irish hold a winning record in the series, at 8-6-2. Wisconsin’s largest margin of victory over Notre Dame by a score of 58-0, and that was their second meeting, and part of a three-game Wisconsin win streak between 1900 and 1905, when the Badgers beat the Irish by a combined score of 130-0.
For their part, Notre Dame Football had their biggest win over Wisconsin in 1943 by a score of 50-0. That was part of a six-game win streak for the Irish over the Badgers, going from 1929 through 1944, which Notre Dame had won by a combined score of 170-13.
In other words, this series has rarely produced competitive games. Now, this isn’t particularly relevant information to this game, Wisconsin and Notre Dame Football last played in 1964, but it certainly is interesting.
More pressing to their meeting in 2021 is the transfer of quarterback Jack Coan, who left Wisconsin when he lost his job due to injury and landed in South Bend. You’re going to hear more than enough about that storyline, and there will be a debate after the fact as to who played better, Coan or Mertz.
Now, that will have an impact on the game, obviously, but it’s not the only thing to consider or think about during the game that are worth knowing about before kick-off.
This counts as a road game for Notre Dame football, despite being at Soldier Field for a neutral site meeting. This means, for viewing purposes, it won’t be on NBC, and could very well be FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, which is actually 11 am CT.
Of course, there is also a world where this is the ABC primetime game, which means College Gameday would be there. Either way, all eyes will be on this game going into Week 4.
Notre Dame is going to be an underdog, at least in the preseason, but that can quickly change. Now, here’s everything you need to know about the match-up.
Notre Dame football: Wisconsin matchup in 2021 could be a dogfight
Wisconsin in 2020
The Badgers played one of those fun 2020 COVID-19 based schedules. They started late like everyone else in the B1G 10 after their season was originally canceled in its entirety, and an outbreak of the virus got games against Nebraska, Purdue, and Minnesota declared “no contests.”
You might remember Nebraska complaining about that, but they did complain more than enough for the rest of the B1G 10.
They also lost starting quarterback Jack Coan before the season started, as he needed surgery. That put the highly-touted Graham Mertz in the spotlight. As the new quarterback, he lit up a frankly bad Illinois team in their first game, making everyone think that he was already a Heisman candidate.
That’s when the pandemic hit, and it hit Mertz directly. He lost time and came back down to Earth after the entire program was shut down for a couple of weeks.
Mertz would end up with 1,238 yards passing, nine passing touchdowns, and five interceptions. Just a freshman, Mertz showed flashes of what it takes, and he also led them to a bowl win and a 4-3 record on the season. Wisconsin would beat every unranked team they played while losing to every ranked team they played.
In those three games against ranked opponents, Wisconsin scored a total of 20 points.
No one on the offense stood out, including a disappointing running back by committee where no one had more than 301 yards on the season. The receivers weren’t much better. Tight end Jake Ferguson lead the way with 30 catches for 305 yards and four TDs.
Defensively, Wisconsin was just as strong as it had been in recent years. The Badgers only allowed 17.4 points per game last season, with linebacker Jack Sanborn leading the way in terms of tackles, with 52. Leo Chenal, meanwhile, had 3 sacks to lead the team, and Scott Nelson’s 2 interceptions were the best mark there.
Notre Dame football: Wisconsin matchup in 2021 could be a dogfight
Wisconsin’s Offense
Wisconsin’s offense is built surprisingly like Notre Dame’s offense. They want to run the ball behind a big and strong offensive line, with dependable quarterback play. Their best offensive player, meanwhile, is a tight end in Jake Ferguson.
Maybe that’s why Jack Coan made so much sense going to Notre Dame from Wisconsin?
The challenge for the Badgers is going to be getting Graham Mertz to take a major step forward and become the quarterback they feel that he can become because he has the potential to be their best quarterback since Russell Wilson. That’s why it was an easy decision to choose to go forward with their future decision-maker at quarterback, even if he was a little bit rough around the edges at times. The potential was clearly there.
He needs help beyond Ferguson, though.
A receiver or two on the outside could make his life much easier. Danny Davis III is going to be a key piece of this, as the senior leader needs to step up for Wisconsin. Kendric Pryor is another option to fall back on for the Badgers, but the truth is that their receiver room needs help to be a true threat.
More importantly, Wisconsin needs to fix the running game that has been their pride in recent seasons. Jalen Berger is the hope for the future here, but the proof of concept really wasn’t there in 2020. As far as the offensive line goes, they return three of five starters, so there are questions there too.
There is potential on offense for the Badgers, but no proof of their ability in the long-term.
Notre Dame football: Wisconsin matchup in 2021 could be a dogfight
Wisconsin’s Defense
As usual, Wisconsin’s strength on defense is going to be at the linebacker position. Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal make up a team that harasses the opposing run game and spends a lot of time in opposing backfields. This can be an issue for teams trying to figure out what to do on the offensive line going into the season.
They’re not alone, though, as Noah Burks and Nick Herbig provide potential on the edge.
A great linebacking corps is always made better by a defensive line that takes up double teams and energy. That’s the role that Keeanu Benton will fill on the inside, where the 314lb nose tackle should swallow up any attempts to run the ball down the middle.
Meanwhile, the secondary won’t be great, but it should be more than respectable. Scott Nelson is the type of player that you’re looking for in a safety, as he plays like a centerfielder who can be trusted not to miss tackles. There is also experience in the secondary, as Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks are solid pieces that can shut down most average receiving threats.
Notre Dame football: Wisconsin matchup in 2021 could be a dogfight
Bottom Line on the Badgers
It’s overly simplistic to say that the Badgers are like looking in a mirror for Notre Dame, but the truth is that the similarities are striking. Neither team has a great passing game. Both teams have offensive line turnover. Their defensive strengths are on the front seven.
The list goes on and isn’t hard to see.
How good or bad the Badgers do come down to whether or not Graham Mertz and Jalen Berger take that step forward and reach their full potential. If they do, then Wisconsin is a threat to win the B1G 10.
Too Early Prediction
This is both an incredibly important game for Notre Dame, and one that might be a little hard to watch. Expect a punt fest. Neither offense has anything special about it, and what they are both good at, the opposing defense is much better at stopping.
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The better defense is going to win this game, mixed with a more experienced quarterback and a proven running game.
Notre Dame 17 Wisconsin 13