Analyst Issues Warning For Notre Dame After Win vs. Wisconsin
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Notre Dame cruised in the second half of Sunday, but a 13-10 halftime lead against Wisconsin couldn’t be ignored.
That’s how A to Z Sports’ Ryan Roberts assesses the No. 4-ranked Fighting Irish’s 41-13 victory over Wisconsin on Sunday night at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The Fighting Irish came into the season with big expectations after just missing the College Football Playoff last season.
Robert wrote that “the same old questions came flooding back” regarding Notre Dame’s play in September, and he referenced the 0-2 start last year and the past losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois. He noted “nothing about this game [Sunday] should inspire confidence heading into the teeth of the schedule” this season.
Wisconsin is no longer a Big Ten power, with 4-8 and 5-7 records the past two seasons after back-to-back 7-6 seasons. The Fighting Irish looked in danger of an upset for half of the game, and potentially tougher opponents are right around the corner.
Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina and Stanford are Notre Dame’s next five opponents, and none of those five teams have been a top-25 squad of late. That said, the Fighting Irish really hit the heart of the schedule Oct. 17 and beyond with No. 14 BYU, Navy, No. 7 Miami, Boston College, No. 19 SMU and Syracuse.
A Look at Notre Dame’s Next 4 Opponents
Rice, Notre Dame’s next opponent, kicked off the season with a 31-3 win over UConn on Sept. 5. While Rice may not be a stronger opponent than Wisconsin, the Owls gaining confidence on both sides of the ball is a factor going into South Bend next Saturday.
Purdue, Notre Dame’s third opponent, opened with a 44-19 thrashing of Indiana State on Sept. 4. The Boilermakers historically play Notre Dame close, but that hasn’t been the case since it was last a regular series in the 2010s.
North Carolina hasn’t fared well under head coach Bill Belichick thus far, but the Tar Heels squeaked out a win over TCU overseas on Aug. 29. Stanford hasn’t enjoyed a winning season since famed former quarterback Andrew Luck’s final NFL seasons, but the Cardinal at least showed life in the season opener against Hawaii with a win.
If Notre Dame starts slow again in any of those games, it could be trouble in a season that has no room for error in the CFP race.
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Names ‘Biggest Thing’ in Turnaround
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman knew the questions were coming after the team’s 13-10 first half, and he praised the team for outsourcing the Badgers 28-3 in the second half. Fighting Irish running back Aneyas Williams provided a big spark with two touchdowns, and cornerback D.J. McKinney got things going with his 55-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“I just told the team, I’m proud of them,” Freeman told reporters afterward. “There will be a lot of questions asked about the tale of two halves and what changes we made. I think the biggest thing was your ability to just let go of what you thought this game was gonna be like and focus on the moment.”
Notre Dame went nine plays, 70 yards for the first scoring drive of the second half, capped by Williams’ 3-yard touchdown run for a 20-10 lead. McKinney then broke things open on the following drive with the pick-six.
The Fighting Irish scored on every possession of the second half, and the Badgers never went further than 47 yards on any drive.
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