The Wisconsin Badgers open the season under the lights at Lambeau Field with a stiff test right out of the gate against Notre Dame, and there’s no easing into it for Luke Fickell in his fourth full season at the helm.
This matchup gives Wisconsin a chance to show where it stands early, but it also puts the Badgers in front of a Notre Dame team that brings real problems on both sides of the ball. If Wisconsin is going to keep pace this Labor Day weekend, it will have to solve a few issues that could quickly tilt the night in the Irish’s favor.
Start with CJ Carr. The redshirt freshman quarterback is coming off a strong first season in which he threw for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while completing 66.6% of his passes.
He also ran for 3 touchdowns. With another year of growth under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, Carr looks set to begin this season with momentum.
Then there’s Leonard Moore, whose presence matters even if Fickell has said the lockdown cornerback won’t affect Wisconsin’s offense. The reality is simpler: transfer quarterback Colton Joseph will have one less target available to him.
And finally, Wisconsin has to clean up the mess on third down. Year one with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes fell short across the board, and even after the Badgers added help through the NCAA Transfer Portal, last season’s third-down conversion rate still tells the story.
Wisconsin converted only 32.26% of its third downs, and against Notre Dame, that kind of inefficiency could be a major problem. Beating the Irish will require long, sustained drives, and that was not something Wisconsin delivered last season.
In Other News...
Wisconsin May Need An Unexpected Answer Against Notre Dame Up Front
The first big question for Wisconsin this week is what the line will look like when it matters most against Notre Dame. The Badgers are already dealing with uncertainty around starting right guard Emerson Mandell and tackle Kevin Heywood, which puts extra attention on the next wave of players up front. In a game where the matchup in the trenches figures to shape everything, that kind of late-week uncertainty can quickly turn a familiar depth chart into a test of flexibility.
That is where a few less obvious names suddenly become worth watching. Blackmon, Cai Bates and Brock have been mentioned as players who could factor in if Wisconsin needs help on the offensive front, and the staffs view of them during fall camp has been consistently positive. Coaches have praised not just the way those players work, but the kind of character they bring, which matters even more when a game plan may need a quick adjustment before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin's Week 1 Prep Just Got More Complicated With Notre Dame
Notre Dames first injury report for its Week 1 matchup with Wisconsin immediately added another layer to an already interesting opener. Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is listed as questionable while he continues recovering from an ACL injury, leaving the Badgers to prepare without knowing whether one of the Irishs most important front-seven pieces will be available.
The report also ruled out several other players, including wide receiver Quincy Porter and offensive linemen Matty Augustine and Charles Jagusah, which only adds to the uncertainty on Notre Dames side. For Wisconsin, that means the opening-game prep now comes with a little more guesswork than usual, especially with both teams still sorting out exactly who will be ready when kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Heads Into Notre Dame With Key Lineup Questions Up Front
The lead-up to Wisconsins Week 1 trip to Notre Dame has been marked by a familiar sort of preseason uncertainty up front, with the Badgers still sorting through their offensive line health as game week closes in. Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell are both questionable, and Mandell appears headed for a game-time decision, leaving the staff to weigh how much continuity it can count on when the matchup gets real.
Jaylon Domingeaux is also listed as questionable, adding another layer to an offense that could already be leaning on some early-season adjustments. For a Wisconsin team trying to get settled against a high-profile opponent right out of the gate, the availability of a few key pieces may end up shaping not just the starting lineup, but the way the Badgers manage their entire receiver rotation. [Read more 🡒]