Notre Dame Football vs. Wisconsin: 3 Badgers who must be stopped
By Brad Weiss
![Sep 18, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly leaves the field after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. The win was his 105th as Notre Dame coach and tied Kelly for most wins at Notre Dame with Knute Rockne. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports Sep 18, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly leaves the field after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. The win was his 105th as Notre Dame coach and tied Kelly for most wins at Notre Dame with Knute Rockne. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/c4f13b62732cfe66546eca3738401e641a6e6e53343d88fbb50245bdaf22fa17.jpg)
Notre Dame Football vs. Wisconsin: 3 Badgers who must be stopped
Jake Ferguson, Tight End
Sure, Jake Ferguson may only have 69 yards this season, but he does have 12 catches, so he is a key target for quarterback Graham Mertz. Back when starter Jack Coan was the quarterback at Wisconsin, Ferguson was the main target for him as well, as that year, he hauled in 33 catches for over 400 yards.
On Saturday, Ferguson is going to play a key role in this passing game, so the linebackers better be ready for him. He has the athletic ability to be a game-breaker for this Wisconsin offense, and his return for another season with the Badgers was supposed to catapult him into being a legitimate second-round draft pick in 2022.
This is a game that is likely to go down to the wire, and if the Irish want any chance of pulling off the upset, these three players must be stopped. This will be an emotional game for quarterback Jack Coan and based on how the team feels about their signal-caller, they are certainly going to want to win this one for him.