The first half gave Wisconsin plenty to hang onto. The second half ripped it away.
Notre Dame pulled away from a stubborn Badgers team and rolled to a 41-13 win at Lambeau Field in the season opener, using a decisive third-quarter surge and a costly pick six to turn a competitive game into a blowout. Wisconsin trailed only 13-10 at halftime and had shown enough early to leave room for optimism about 2026, but the Irish took control after the break and never let go.
Wisconsin opened the game with a quick three-and-out after getting stuffed on first down, but the defense answered right away. The run defense came out strong, and Sebastian Cheeks forced a strip sack on Notre Dame’s first third down. The Irish recovered, but the tone was set: Wisconsin wasn’t going to make this easy.
The Badgers then got a huge break when they blocked a punt and took over in plus territory. That field position turned into the game’s first points, with Abu Sama III ripping off a strong 3rd & 6 run behind solid blocking to help push Wisconsin into the red zone before the drive ended with a field goal.
Notre Dame responded by leaning on its passing game. The Irish converted a fourth down, found space against Wisconsin’s off coverage to the field side, and eventually cashed in with a 52-yard field goal to tie it at 3-3.
Then came another swing. Backup running back Harrison Bortolotti fumbled the kickoff, and Notre Dame suddenly had the ball near the red zone again. Wisconsin’s defense held up for a few snaps, but the Irish finished the series with a play-action touchdown pass to go ahead 10-3.
Wisconsin’s offense had chances to answer, but Colton Joseph left some plays on the field. He was late on a quick out that Leonard Moore broke up, then missed an open boundary receiver on a well-designed call from Jeff Grimes that used motion to freeze Notre Dame. Joseph locked onto the inside receiver instead, and the result was another incompletion.
The Badgers did get a lift from special teams when Sean West pinned a punt at the one-yard line. That helped set up another quick stop, and Wisconsin made the most of the next short field. Malachi Coleman beat Jayden Sanders on a stop-and-go for a 28-yard touchdown, knotting the score at 10-10.
Notre Dame adjusted by attacking Wisconsin through the air between the hashes. The Irish started finding intermediate dig routes for chunk gains, but once they got into Wisconsin territory, the run defense tightened up again. Javan Robinson made a key third-down stop that forced a field goal, and Notre Dame settled for a 13-10 lead.
The Badgers still had one more promising march before halftime. Grimes kept the offense moving with a couple of well-crafted calls, Wisconsin picked up a pair of first downs, and the ball reached the Notre Dame 36-yard line. But the drive stalled there, and Wisconsin chose to punt after calling timeout.
The game changed quickly after halftime. Notre Dame began creating space in the passing game, Wisconsin missed a few tackles, and the Irish put together a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to stretch the lead to 20-10.
That was only the start of the damage. On Wisconsin’s next possession, Joseph delivered two rough snaps: first a bad throw with poor footwork that sailed over Coleman on a comeback, then a miscommunication with Chris Brooks on a route where the wideout sat against off coverage while Joseph expected an out. The second mistake became a pick six, and just like that Notre Dame was in front 27-10.
Wisconsin kept fighting. The Badgers answered with a 14-play drive that featured a mix of screens, easy throws for Joseph, and another stop-and-go from Coleman, this time out of the slot and up the seam for 17 yards.
The run game also started to find a little rhythm again, and Wisconsin moved deep into Notre Dame territory. But the drive bogged down there and ended with a field goal, making it 27-13 after a 14-play, 47-yard march.
Notre Dame then slammed the door with another long scoring drive, going 8 plays for 75 yards and a touchdown. The Irish kept working the digs, took advantage of more missed tackles, and got the run game going as well. That pushed the margin to 34-13 and drained a big chunk of clock, sending Notre Dame into the fourth quarter with a three-touchdown cushion.
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Wisconsin Just Got An O-Line Reality Check Before Notre Dame
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Wisconsin Opens With A Lambeau Test That Could Set The Tone
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There is plenty of curiosity around how that new-look group will come together, especially with quarterback Colton Joseph now in the mix. A season opener of this magnitude does more than draw attention nationally on NBC - it also puts Wisconsin under a spotlight usually reserved for November pressure games, and the way the Badgers handle it could say a lot about how far they have come since last fall. [Read more 🡒]