Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1411895
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 25, 2021 39 GAME PREVIEW: WISCONSIN points per game last season, its lowest scoring output since 2004. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. WISCONSIN RUN DEFENSE What was expected in the preseason to be the foundation of the Irish offense, its running attack has instead been an understated disappointment be- cause of the struggles along a rebuilt offensive line. Through its first two games, Notre Dame ranked only 110th nationally in rushing offense (98.5 yards per game) out of 130 teams. Junior Kyren Williams — a preseason All-Ameri- can — and sophomore Chris Tyree combined from the one-two Irish tailback punch for 48 carries and 163 yards with a troubling 3.4 yards per carry prior to the matchup with Purdue. And with starting Irish left tackle Blake Fisher out for at least five weeks after suffering a knee injury against Florida State, and the short-term health of Fisher's sophomore backup Michael Carmody uncertain after he left the Toledo game with an ankle injury, head coach Brian Kelly suggested that some position shuffling might be in order to find the right combination up front. Adding dual-threat freshman quarterback Tyler Buchner to its rushing rotation — he gained 68 yards on seven carries against Toledo in his first ca- reer appearance — provides Notre Dame another weapon in this category moving forward. Wisconsin counters with a defense that returned eight starters from a unit that finished No. 5 na- tionally in rushing defense (96.1 yards allowed per game) and was also first in the Big Ten and fifth in the country in third-down conversion defense in 2020. With fifth-year senior safety Scott Nelson and senior linebacker Jack Sanborn — the team's two leading tacklers — patrolling the defensive middle, Wisconsin features a veteran and talented group of reliable run stoppers under proven fifth-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. Standout junior linebacker Leo Chenal missed Wisconsin's first two games because of COVID, but should be ready against Notre Dame. Advantage: Wisconsin NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. WISCONSIN PASS DEFENSE The top storyline for Notre Dame this offseason was whether graduate transfer quarterback Jack Coan could effectively replace three-year starter Ian Book, and the early returns were positive. Coan's poise and production in tough wins over Florida State and Toledo — highlighted by the three-play, 75-yard game-winning touchdown drive against the Rockets — has been the bright- est development on the team so far this season. Entering the Purdue game, Coan had already thrown for 605 yards in two outings with six touch- downs and two interceptions, though one of those interceptions went for a pick-six against Toledo. As advertised in the preseason, Irish sophomore Senior tight end Jake Ferguson, who was a first-team All-Big Ten selection last year, leads Wisconsin this season with 12 catches for 69 yards through two games. PHOTO BY DAVID ST. LUKA/COURTESY WISCONSIN ATHLETICS