Notre Dame football vs. Wisconsin review: 3 studs, 3 duds in Week 4
By Andrew Hall
Notre Dame football vs. Wisconsin review: 3 studs, 3 duds in Week 4
3 Duds
Despite a resounding victory over Wisconsin, the Notre Dame football team needs to continue to improve in a few aspects. Here are the duds from Wisconsin-Notre Dame.
Offensive Line
To be fair, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees never truly attempted to run the ball consistently. Choosing not to run was the correct decision but the offensive line continued to struggle mightily. Wisconsin sacked Notre Dame quarterbacks six times on Saturday. This added to an already troubling trend. The Fighting Irish currently rank second-to-last in sacks allowed with 20.
The group only mustered 39 yards from running backs on Saturday. Overall, the Notre Dame football team ranks 122nd in rushing yardage – averaging only 80 yards per game.
Cheap Shots
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly received an unsportsmanlike penalty after going ballistic on the referees. The anger was caused by two Wisconsin players intentionally pinning junior Safety Kyle Hamilton to the ground. With Hamilton’s stature in college football, he will continue to be a target of opponents.
He likely brought this ire upon himself with his propensity to trash talk. But, a cheap shot is amateur and deserved to be flagged.
Non Believers
Picking against the Fighting Irish on Saturday was justified. With Wisconsin’s ability to play defense and Notre Dame’s inability to protect the quarterback or run, it was easy to see how the Irish might lose. However, after the excellent performance and a 26-home winning streak, bettors and media pundits should believe in the Notre Dame football team, correct? Apparently, no. The Irish opened as 1-point favorites over Cincinnati but the current consensus line is the Bearcats by 2.5 points.
dark. Next. Notre Dame Football vs. Wisconsin: 3 things we learned in Week 4