Early Season Demons Exorcised? Notre Dame-Wisconsin Reaction
- Erich Pilcher
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A sports season is not a sprint: it is a marathon, full of ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys. There will be times when hope feels lost, when it seems there is no way our beloved team can win. We saw that truth in primetime when Notre Dame took on Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.
For one half, it looked like Wisconsin could hang with the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish. Ghosts of past early-season hiccups haunted our memories (Miami and Texas A&M last season, Northern Illinois the previous season). But the second half showed a different truth: this team can answer adversity.
This was not the Irish of the past. This was a team of vengeance and exorcism that was going to use their immense talent and strength to show their worth and make these haunting memories seem like ages ago.
Opening the second half, up 13-10, the Irish took the opening kickoff and imposed their will on a Wisconsin defense that NBC Color Commentator Jason Garrett said had “bullied, dominated and pushed around Notre Dame”.
Nonsensical hyperbole aside, Notre Dame became the bullies, going on a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to take a 20-10 lead.
Five plays later, while Wisconsin was driving, CB DJ McKinney jumped on a throw made by Wisconsin QB Colton Joseph and didn’t stop for 55 yards until he hit pay dirt, which made the score 28-10; route on, demons exercised, all is good with Irish faithful.
This game was not pretty; there are still issues (defense getting caught on big gains with “slug-go” routes) and typical first-game hiccups. However, this game should not be viewed as a harbinger of doom. This needs to be looked at as the first step towards a greater goal.
The offense did not turn the ball over against a defense that was very stout last season. The offensive line that at times last season struggled to protect CJ Carr, only allowed one sack.
After a slow start, RB Aneyas Williams finished with 90 yards and two touchdowns. Carr was 19/29 for 239 yards and two touchdowns as well.
As a bonus, kicker Spencer Porath made all four extra points and hit both of his field goal attempts (given the kicking issues last year, this is a welcomed sight).
It’s only one game, but I dare say, the past is just the past. What the Irish showed us in this first game is what we expected: a relentless team that will keep fighting and pushing. When Notre Dame teams of old have shrunk down and fell apart, this year's team did not. They took the Badgers' best haymakers and fired back with repeated knockout blows to a decisive 41-13 victory.
No one knows what will happen in these final 11 games. Injuries to defensive stalwarts S Brauntae Johnson and DT Jason Onye are concerning, but the Irish showed they are built for the marathon of this season. And that is one marathon that should be fun to watch.
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