Notre Dame traveled to Soldier Field on Saturday to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Throughout the game, Notre Dame and Wisconsin went back and forth trading scores, a trend that went all the way up to the fourth quarter. Entering into the last 15 minutes of play, the score was 10-10. Wisconsin would record 3 points on a field goal, but this would be their last points of the game. A defensive masterclass by the Irish would unfold during the rest of the fourth quarter.
Following a kick-off that was returned by Notre Dame kick returner Chris Tyree for a touchdown, the Irish defensive line would swallow Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz who would be stripped of the ball in the process. The defense would recover the ball and this turnover would eventually lead to an Irish touchdown.
Later in the fourth, five minutes remained on the clock as Wisconsin was pushing up the field in desperate need of a score. Mertz, throwing downfield, would put the ball right into the hands of a Notre Dame safety, putting an abrupt stop to the Badgers drive. The Notre Dame offense would again take over and put 3 points on the board with a successful field goal.
In the final two minutes of the game, Mertz would again be eaten alive by the Irish defense, throwing two interceptions in under a minute and a half. Each interception would be returned for a touchdown. The Irish would go on to win 41-13.
Ultimately, it was Notre Dame secondly led by captain Kyle Hamilton that put the cap on another big victory. With such a talented safety in the secondary setting the example for his teammates, the Notre Dame defense has really taken off in these past two games. Against Notre Dame, the Badgers were 1 for 13 on third down conversions and were forced to punt on 6 different occasions. On top of that, Mertz was responsible for 1 fumble and threw 4 interceptions. Notre Dame will look to carry this strong defensive showing into their upcoming game against Cincinnati.
