Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546494
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 12, 2026 23 NOTRE DAME PASSING OFFENSE: B Junior quarterback CJ Carr played better than his final line suggested: 19 of 29 for 239 yards with 2 touchdowns. His wide receivers could have helped him on some catchable passes in the first half while the offense struggled to start fast. Senior wideout Jordan Faison picked up where he left off as Notre Dame's leading receiver last season and continued to be Carr's favorite target. The rest of the wide receivers didn't inspire a lot of confidence. Fortunately for the Irish, the running backs and tight ends were valuable parts of the passing at- tack. There should be fewer games when Notre Dame's No. 2 running back is also the second-best pass catcher in a game, but sophomore Nolan James Jr. stepped up in a meaningful way. The offensive line struggled to protect Carr early in the game, but he was only sacked once. NOTRE DAME RUSHING OFFENSE: C+ Maybe this grade reflects improper expectations for Notre Dame's rushing attack. But it's hard to be too high on a unit that produced just 29 rushing yards on 16 carries in the first half. Notre Dame made a change to its offensive line in the second half by replacing junior Styles Prescod at right guard with senior Sullivan Absher, and that seemed to make a difference. The Irish clearly gained a better grasp of what could work on the ground in the second half, but that required better execution from the offensive line and running backs. Williams really turned up his performance in the second half. His six consecutive carries for 39 yards to conclude the touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter showed that Notre Dame had broken through and worn down the Badgers. An average of 4.5 yards per carry and 2 touchdowns shouldn't be considered a bad night for Williams in his first career start. NOTRE DAME PASSING DEFENSE: B+ The pair of passes broken up by sophomore cor- nerback Jayden Sanders on his first drive in Notre Dame's secondary in the second quarter might have given him too much confidence. He played too aggressively on a double move, which led to a 28-yard touchdown. Aside from that obvious error, Notre Dame's secondary played well. And it contributed to the scoring when DJ McKinney returned his intercep- tion 55 yards for a touchdown. That's a wash for the McKinney and Sanders duo, who rotated in the field cornerback role. Wisconsin chose not to challenge All-American cornerback Leonard Moore very often, but it flirted with danger when it did. The Irish could have provided more pressure on quarterback Colton Joseph, but they limited his scrambling opportunities and still sacked him twice. NOTRE DAME RUSHING DEFENSE: A- Wisconsin put together a few runs that made it seem like it may have been able to sustain suc- cess on the ground against Notre Dame. But there wasn't enough consistency for the Badgers, who finished with an average of 2.2 yards per carry. Joseph's running ability brought challenges for Notre Dame's defense, but he still managed just 15 rushing yards when excluding the pair of sacks he took. Senior linebacker and captain Drayk Bowen manned the middle of the defense with a team- high 9 tackles. The Irish secondary, led by Moore and captain safety Adon Shuler, provided physical play on the perimeter. Wisconsin was never able to break loose for a run of more than 8 yards. NOTRE DAME SPECIAL TEAMS: B+ Freshman Jasper Scaife's first college punt didn't go as planned when Wisconsin's Liam Danitz blocked it, though it still ended up traveling 21 yards. But Notre Dame managed to overshadow that early blunder with some strong special teams performances elsewhere. Senior linebacker Ka- hanu Kia showed great hustle on his recovery off a muffed kickoff that led to Notre Dame's first touch- down. And junior kicker Spencer Porath proved to be a luxury the Irish didn't have last season when he nailed his first field goal in a Notre Dame uni- form from 52 yards out. NOTRE DAME COACHING: B The blame for Notre Dame's slow start should be widespread, including the coaching staff. The Irish's offensive execution was far from impressive in the first half. And the play-calling seemed to suggest a belief that Notre Dame would impose its will with the running game. Meanwhile, costly penalties made drives hard to sustain. But credit to Notre Dame's coaching staff for pushing the right buttons at halftime to get the Irish in an expected position with an offense that could move the ball and a defense that could cre- ate plays. REPORT CARD BY TYLER JAMES Junior kicker Spencer Porath drilled a 52-yard field goal in the first quarter against Wisconsin, the first Irish field goal since Oct. 11, 2025. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER