Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1414190
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 2, 2021 21 BY TYLER HORKA I t was one of those games that just had that feeling. Nobody was walking off the field in Chicago without scoring on spe- cial teams or defense. One play was going to change everything for Notre Dame and Wisconsin, two teams that battled to a deadlocked, low-scoring 10-10 slugfest through three quarters at Soldier Field. And one play changed everything, in- deed. Notre Dame sophomore running back Chris Tyree returned a kickoff 96 yards to the north end zone — the one har- bored by a sea of red that just moments before was bouncing up and down in chaotic harmony as House of Pain's "Jump Around" blared through the sta- dium speakers — to give the Irish a 17-13 lead early in the fourth quarter that it would not relinquish again. That sea of red turned from something out of "The Perfect Storm" to resembling the gentle ripples of Lake Michigan on a cool fall day. Wisconsin fans knew the tide had turned. Notre Dame fans, too. And players and coaches from both sides. Tyree's touchdown was the start of an almost unbelievable 31-point run that powered Notre Dame to a 41-13 victory and improved the Fighting Irish's record to a perfect 4-0 mark despite the imper- fect manner in which it has gotten there. "We knew what this game was going to be about," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "It was going to be close, hard-fought, physical — whatever cliché you want to use. It was all of that." Wisconsin outgained Notre Dame 314-242 in total yards, but Tyree's touchdown and four interceptions by the defense — two of which were returned for Irish touchdowns — represented the demise of redshirt sophomore quarter- back Graham Mertz and the Badgers. The Irish only ran for a net gain of three yards. Two Irish quarterbacks — graduate student Jack Coan and soph- omore Drew Pyne — carried the team offensively. They combined for 239 passing yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Notre Dame played its best game of the season to date. The Irish limited a dangerous Wisconsin running game to 74 yards. In a game that was truly everything Kelly described, Notre Dame's defense did more than enough to earn the victory. "We were able to win this thing go- ing away by playing complete football," Kelly said. FIRST QUARTER WISCONSIN 3, NOTRE DAME 0 Top Moment: Wisconsin elected to go for it on fourth-and-one from the Notre Dame 21 with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter. Junior nose tackle Jacob Lacey stuffed former Clemson running back Chez Mellusi for no gain, giving the Irish the ball back and preventing Wisconsin from opening up a potential two-score lead. Feature Performer: Coan. The Irish responded to Wisconsin's first field goal by sustaining a 15-play, 59-yard drive. Coan had completions to five different pass catchers on the drive, which ulti- mately stalled in Badgers territory and ended with graduate student kicker Jona- than Doerer missing a 39-yard field goal attempt. The drive didn't result in points, but it foreshadowed Coan and Notre Dame having success in the passing game. Stats: The Badgers gained 79 yards to Notre Dame's 57. The Irish had mi- nus-18 rushing yards in the quarter due in large part to two sacks of Coan. Wis- consin had just eight rushing yards. Items: Notre Dame went three-and- out with a net loss of five yards on its first possession of the game … Wiscon- sin's first play from scrimmage went for a 22-yard gain … The Badgers also connected on a 43-yard passing play, which stood up as the longest play from scrimmage for either team in the open- ing quarter. SECOND QUARTER NOTRE DAME 10, WISCONSIN 3 Top Moment: The Coan to senior wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. connection that wasn't there against Purdue finally resurfaced with a 36-yard touchdown to put Notre Dame ahead 10-3 with 4:48 left in the first half. Austin faced one-on-one coverage down the left sideline, and Coan deftly lofted a pass over his shoulder and into his arms. Textbook execution. Feature Performer: Senior defen- sive tackle Jayson Ademilola had three of his five tackles in the second quar- ter. One of them was a tackle for loss, and another was a tackle for no gain. Ademilola helped Notre Dame estab- lish a dominant defensive identity in the first half that carried over into the second. Stats: Notre Dame outgained Wis- consin 93-9 in total yards. The Badgers did not have a single passing yard in the frame. They were 0 of 3 on third down while Notre Dame was 2 of 5. Items: Notre Dame finished off a 16- play, 45-yard drive with a 51-yard field goal from Doerer … Junior cornerback Cam Hart recorded his first career interception on third-and-long midway through the quarter … Notre Dame stole a page from Wisconsin's playbook by possessing the ball for 10:31 in the frame, leaving Wis- consin with the ball for just 4:29. THIRD QUARTER NOTRE DAME 10, WISCONSIN 10 Top Moment: The first pass of Pyne's sophomore season showcased his athleti- cism and ability to extend plays. Flushed out of the pocket and rolling to his right, Pyne nearly ran out of room as he ap- proached the Wisconsin sideline. He fired a short pass across his body to the left and completed it to graduate receiver Avery Davis, who turned up field for a gain of 15. PICK CITY Notre Dame's defense forces five turnovers — including four interceptions — and scores two touchdowns to lead the Irish to a 41-13 win over Wisconsin in Chicago