Wisconsin talked a big game before facing Notre Dame, insisting it wouldn’t duck star cornerback Leonard Moore. By the time the game settled in, that swagger had all but vanished.
The Badgers spent most of the afternoon avoiding Moore’s side of the field, and the results showed up quickly. Notre Dame led 13-10 at halftime, and even when Wisconsin found some offensive rhythm, it still wasn’t testing the Fighting Irish’s top defensive back.
The one time Wisconsin really went after Moore, it nearly backfired in spectacular fashion. Moore almost hauled in an incredible one-handed interception, a moment that likely made Colton Joseph and the Badgers even more hesitant to keep challenging him.
Moore was on the field for 33 passing plays, but Wisconsin threw in his direction only four times, according to Pro Football Focus. Those four targets produced just 2 catches for 16 yards.
And even when the Badgers tried to work their offense away from Moore, they didn’t find much comfort there either. That was the part everyone outside Madison figured would happen.
Last Monday, Luke Fickell had said Wisconsin couldn’t “shy away” from Moore’s side of the field. He said his team couldn’t treat Moore like he wasn’t anybody, and couldn’t cut the field in half and still expect the offense to function.
After all that talk, Wisconsin still ended up playing carefully around him. Joseph’s final line reflected the struggle: 19 completions on 30 attempts for 217 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception by DJ McKinney, which he returned for a touchdown. That pick-six looked like the kind of mistake that happens when a quarterback is forced to work too hard on the other side because one corner is off limits.
If Wisconsin wants a small consolation, it can at least know it isn’t the first Notre Dame opponent Leonard Moore has made look foolish. But the lesson from this one was plain enough: sometimes it’s just smarter not to poke the bear.
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