Notre Dame football: Most exciting 21 moments from the 2021 season

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 01: A closeup of a Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cowboys defeated the Fighting Irish 37-35. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 01: A closeup of a Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cowboys defeated the Fighting Irish 37-35. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS โ€“ SEPTEMBER 25: Jack Kiser #24 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish returns an interception for a touchdown chased by Jack Dunn #16 of the Wisconsin Badgers at Soldier Field on September 25, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois. Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 41-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS โ€“ SEPTEMBER 25: Jack Kiser #24 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish returns an interception for a touchdown chased by Jack Dunn #16 of the Wisconsin Badgers at Soldier Field on September 25, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois. Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 41-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football: Most exciting 21 moments from the 2021 season

No. 10: Irish defense erupts in fourth quarter vs Wisconsin

The Notre Dame football team took on the Wisconsin Badgers inside Soldier Field in Game No. 4 of their 2021 regular season. Going into this matchup, the Irish had really struggled against Florida State, Toledo, and Purdue, and many questions arose about whether or not they would be a legitimate CFP contender.

This game had many storylines, but none bigger than Jack Coan, who had led the Badgers to a Big Ten title game two years back. Coan was replaced by Graham Mertz as the starter for Wisconsin, clearing the way for Coan to transfer to Notre Dame, where he had played up-and-down football heading into this game.

Notre Dame and Wisconsin were in quite a battle through three quarters of this matchup, and it looked like another game that was going to come down to the wire. However, with Wisconsin up 13-10 in the fourth, the Irish defense took over, as Jack Kiser and Drew White each had interceptions for a touchdown with under 2:30 left in the game, turning a 24-13 Irish lead into an absolute blowout.