Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 41 GAME PREVIEW: WISCONSIN BY JACK SOBLE WISCONSIN RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Notre Dame tied national champion Indiana for 10th in rush efficiency defense last year, allowing just 2.99 yards per carry. Blue & Gold Illustrated expects the Irish to be just as good or better in 2026, but they begin the season with a tougher test than you might think. Wisconsin, a program that prides itself on run- ning the ball, tied with Boston College for 127th nationally in yards per carry with 3.31 in 2025. Head coach Luke Fickell and company put sig- nificant resources into fixing that, acquiring two starting offensive linemen, a No. 1 running back and a dual-threat quarterback from the transfer portal. The quarterback, Colton Joseph, is the key to the operation. In two seasons at Old Dominion, Joseph ran 272 times for 1,654 yards and 24 touchdowns. He's one of just four returning quarterbacks who broke the 1,000-yard threshold in 2025. Is he athletic enough to handle the step up in compe- tition? Well, against Indiana last year, he ran for touchdowns of 75 and 78 yards. Fail to account for him on zone reads and you will pay, because once he reaches the open field, it's difficult to stop him. The running back, former Iowa State No. 2 back Abu Sama III, is less of a big-play threat but will help the Badgers keep the chains moving. Sama's elusiveness rating (an advanced PFF stat designed to measure rushing performance independent of blocking) ranked 12th among Power Four run- ning backs. Sama and Joseph should form a dangerous tandem. The question is, can Wisconsin block? There's some promise in an offensive line that returns both starters at guard — both of whom were redshirt freshmen in 2025 — and the re- turn of left tackle Kevin Heywood, who would have started as a true sophomore last year but suffered a season-ending injury. Center Austin Kawecki started at Oklahoma State last year and adds veteran leadership to the operation. This is the matchup that should concern the Irish the most, especially because its best run defender, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, might be out as he recovers from a torn ACL. If he plays, odds are he's on a strict pitch count. The Irish know this and will stack the box, but that won't help them if Joseph gets loose. But given how good the run defense was in 2025, the returning contributors with experi- ence against run-first quarterbacks and the up- grades at defensive tackle — expect a great deal of Pitt transfer Francis Brewu and Oregon trans- fer Tionne Gray — Notre Dame should handle business. Advantage: Notre Dame On PaPer Senior running back Abu Sama III rushed for 732 yards and 5 touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry as the backup at Iowa State last season. PHOTO COURTESY WISCONSIN ATHLETICS