Notre Dame’s defense gets a real early test Sunday night at Lambeau Field, and the challenge starts with a Wisconsin offense that doesn’t look anything like the one from a year ago.
Jeff Grimes is back for his second season as the Badgers’ offensive coordinator, but the personnel around him has changed. Wisconsin now has portal pickup Colton Joseph at quarterback, plus a stable of transfer running backs expected to help reshape the ground game. For Notre Dame, that means the assignment is simple on paper and tricky in practice: keep Joseph from turning the game into a sprint.
That has to be the Irish’s top priority because Wisconsin’s path to success runs straight through the rushing attack. Under Luke Fickell, the Badgers are 15-0 when they rush for more than 150 yards and 1-21 when they don’t. Joseph is supposed to give that offense a better chance to hit that number more consistently, which makes him the player Notre Dame has to control.
The bigger question for the Irish defense is whether it comes out with the right mindset from the start. One of the lingering issues with Notre Dame’s defense in 2025 was inconsistency when it tried to be aggressive.
In bigger games, and especially early in the season, the approach was too passive. That’s dangerous against a dual-threat quarterback like Joseph, especially with a defense built around players who want to attack - Drayk Bowen, Jaylen Sneed, Adon Shuler, Christian Gray, Leonard Moore, Brauntae Johnson and Jaiden Ausberry all fit that mold.
The front also needs to be unleashed if Notre Dame wants to stop Wisconsin from finding any rhythm on the ground.
This game also gives a first real look at three new defensive assistants on game day: defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator Aaron Henry. They’ve checked every offseason box so far, but Sunday night is the first chance to see how they handle rotations and in-game adjustments under the lights.
Up front, Notre Dame has a chance to create problems on the edges. Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young both draw favorable matchups against Wisconsin’s offensive tackles.
Traore is lined up against one of the Badgers’ most inexperienced linemen, while Young faces a converted guard who moved out to tackle. Both ends have to do more than rush the passer.
They need to set the edge, help stop the run and force Joseph into uncomfortable throws when he does drop back.
The linebacker group will have its own job against Joseph, and discipline matters more than ever here. The memory of Notre Dame’s 2024 matchup with Louisville still hangs over this type of play: Tyler Shough kept a read-zone around the edge for a huge gain before the sequence ended with a forced fumble by Moore.
Joseph presents a different problem, though. If he gets loose, he may not be as easy to track down.
Whether it’s Ausberry, Sneed, Viliamu-Asa or Madden Faraimo at Will linebacker, the Irish need patience and control so Joseph doesn’t break one open with his legs. He went for 179 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana last season in the opener, and Notre Dame can’t afford a repeat.
There’s also a key battle inside that could decide how much control the Irish defense has over the game. Senior defensive tackle Armel Mukam has been waiting for a breakout for two seasons, and this matchup could be the one.
He’ll go against Wisconsin right guard Stylz Blackmon, who is inexperienced but talented. If Mukam wins that fight, he can wreck plays against the run and collapse the pocket as a pass rusher.
That would free the linebackers to do their work and put Notre Dame in position to dictate the game up front.
In Other News...
CJ Carr Just Raised The Stakes For Notre Dames Receiver Room
Notre Dames passing game has spent plenty of time under the microscope, but CJ Carrs recent comments offered a useful reminder that the quarterback room is not looking at the wide receiver group with caution. Carr pointed to Mylan Graham, Micah Gilbert, Bubba Frazier and Elijah Burress as players who have earned trust through their work and their grasp of the offense, which matters for a unit trying to become more than just a supporting cast.
For the Irish, receiver play is going to be a real measuring stick this season, especially with the offense carrying championship-level expectations. Carrs confidence does not settle anything on its own, but it does sharpen the stakes for a group that has to translate offseason promise into production when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Heads Into Wisconsin With One O-Line Question Unsettled
Notre Dame is still sorting out one of the quieter but more important pieces of its Week 1 plan, with the starting right guard spot for Wisconsin not yet settled. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said Sullivan Absher and Styles Prescod have both competed well through camp, and Prescod has taken the majority of the reps in game preparation as the Irish continue building toward Saturdays opener.
For a line that will feature some new faces and position changes, the timing of the decision matters as much as the choice itself. Denbrock suggested the group may need a little time to fully come together, while quarterback CJ Carr has sounded confident in what the unit can do. Still, with Wisconsin up first, Notre Dame enters the game carrying at least one question that wont be answered until the lineup is official. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Defense Faces An Early Test Wisconsin Could Exploit
Notre Dame will get an early read on just how much its defense has to grow in the 2026 season opener, when Wisconsin arrives with an offense that figures to look very different from the one the Irish studied a year ago. The Badgers are building around transfer quarterback Colton Joseph, whose presence gives them a more dynamic threat and adds a layer of uncertainty to a matchup that already figures to demand discipline from every level of the defense.
For Notre Dame, the challenge is straightforward in theory and tougher in practice: make Wisconsin prove it can live in long-yardage situations, slow the run game and force Joseph to work from inside the pocket. The Irish know they will have to be ready for new wrinkles right away, because if the Badgers can get their quarterback moving and their offense on schedule, it could turn into an uncomfortable opening test in South Bend. [Read more 🡒]