Wisconsin at Notre Dame

Wisconsin at Notre Dame

This is Missed It. Wisconsin at Notre Dame, Sunday, September 6, 73 and clear at Lambeau Field, with the Fighting Irish. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a big one here at Notre Dame Stadium, and the Wisconsin Badgers are in town. The Badgers have the ball first, and our Fighting Irish are ready to go. The energy is electric, the stands are packed, and we've got a full sixty minutes of football ahead of us. Wisconsin came to play, and so did we. Let's see what this Irish defense can do on the opening drive.

Q1

Wisconsin starts with the ball, and our defense holds firm. They get the punt, and we take over. Our first drive doesn't quite get going, and we give it right back. But then Wisconsin starts to move. They're methodical, chewing up the clock, and they get down to our 27-yard line. On fourth down, they send out the field goal unit. Lahm lines up from 27 yards out, and it's good. Wisconsin takes a 3 to 0 lead. We're down early, but there's a lot of football left. Now it's our turn. We take over and start to move the ball. The key moment comes on a third down, deep in our own territory. We need a conversion to keep the drive alive. Carr hands it to Williams, and he pounds it up the middle for 2 yards. It's enough. First down. The drive keeps breathing. We push it down the field, but we stall out around midfield. So we send out Porath for a 52-yard field goal attempt. That's a long one. The snap is clean, the hold is good, and Porath drills it. Tie game, 3 to 3. That's a huge kick. And then, right before the quarter ends, we catch fire. Carr drops back, and he finds Flanigan on a short pass to the left. Flanigan catches it at the 2-yard line and stretches for the pylon. Touchdown, Notre Dame. The crowd erupts. Porath adds the extra point, and just like that, we're up 10 to 3. Wisconsin gets the ball back, but they can't do anything before the quarter ends. We've got the lead, and we've got the momentum.

Q2

We get the ball to start the second quarter, but our drive stalls. We go for it on fourth down, and we come up short. We turn it over on downs, and Wisconsin takes over at our 43-yard line. That's a bad spot to give them the ball. They waste no time. On the first play, Sama rushes left for 5 yards, and then we get flagged for a personal foul. Fifteen yards. Now they're at our 28. And then, on the very next play, Joseph drops back and throws deep to the right. Coleman catches it in the end zone. Touchdown, Wisconsin. Just like that, it's 10 to 10. That was quick, and it stings. We had them pinned, and we let them right back into it. But we don't panic. We take over and start to move the ball again. Carr finds Faison on a short pass to the left, and Faison takes it 30 yards down to the Wisconsin 13. That's a big play to get us into scoring range. We can't punch it in, but we don't need to. Porath comes out and hits a 26-yard field goal. It's 13 to 10, and we've got the lead back. It's not the touchdown we wanted, but it's points, and we'll take them.

The Sequence

This is where the game turns. This is where we take control and never let go. Wisconsin gets the ball back, and our defense digs in. They move a little, but we force a punt. We take over, but we can't get anything going, and we punt it right back. Wisconsin gets another chance, and they start to move. They get into our territory, but our defense stands tall. They go for it on fourth down, and we stop them. Huge stop. We take over, and the half ends with us holding a 13 to 10 lead. We get the ball to start the second half, and we put together a drive that changes everything. We're methodical, we're physical, and we're wearing them down. We get down to the goal line, and Williams takes the handoff. He rushes up the middle for 3 yards, and he's in. Touchdown, Notre Dame. The lead is 20 to 10, and the crowd is rocking. And then, the moment that seals it. Wisconsin gets the ball back, and they're trying to answer. Joseph drops back to pass, and he lets it go. But DJ McKinney steps in front of it. He picks it off, and he's gone. Fifty-five yards to the house. Touchdown, Notre Dame. The defense scores. The lead is 27 to 10, and the game is effectively over. The Irish are flying. Wisconsin tries to respond, but they can't get into the end zone. They settle for a field goal, and it's 27 to 13. But we're not done. We take over, and we put together another long, grinding drive. We chew up the clock, and we get down to the goal line. Williams takes the handoff, rushes left for 5 yards, and he's in for his second touchdown of the game. It's 34 to 13, and the rout is on.

Q4

The fourth quarter starts, and we're up 34 to 13. Wisconsin gets the ball, but they can't do anything. We force a punt, and we take over. And then, on the very first play of their next drive, we force a turnover. We take over with great field position, and we're looking to add more points. We put together another drive, and we're just grinding them down. We get down to the Wisconsin 24-yard line, and Carr drops back. He throws a short pass to the left, and James Jr. catches it. He's got room to run. He takes it 28 yards to the house. Touchdown, Notre Dame. The lead is 41 to 13, and this one is over. The crowd is celebrating, and the Irish are rolling. Wisconsin gets the ball back, but they're just playing out the clock. They move the ball a little, but they can't score. The clock runs out, and it's over. We win, 41 to 13.

Wrap-up

What a performance. We came out, we took control, and we never let go. The defense was dominant, the offense was efficient, and we put together a complete game. That interception return by McKinney was the turning point, and we never looked back. This is a statement win for the Fighting Irish. We're 1 to 0, and we're just getting started. Go Irish.

By the Numbers

The Fighting Irish by the numbers. Final score, Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13. 350 yards of offense to their 284, 239 through the air and 111 on the ground. 20 first downs. 3 of 9 on third down. 0 turnovers for us, 2 for them. We held the ball for just under 32 minutes.

Outro

That was Wisconsin at Notre Dame, from the Fighting Irish side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.