No. 5 Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13 | Instant takeaways from Week 1 loss

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GREEN BAY – This wasn’t a surprise, was it?

The Wisconsin football team, a 20½-point underdog to Notre Dame, suffered a 41-13 loss to the Fighting Irish on Sept. 6 in front of 75,939 at Lambeau Field after battling the Fighting Irish to a 13-10 deficit in the first half.

But in terms of a litmus test of how much the Badgers have closed the gap on elite teams after a 4-8 campaign in 2025, should fans be encouraged with their showing against a team ranked No. 5 in the USA Today US LBM coaches poll that is predicted to make the College Football Playoff?

Notre Dame outgained UW, 350-284, and outscored the Badgers, 28-3, in the second half. Junior quarterback CJ Carr, a Heisman Trophy hopeful, completed 19 of 29 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Colton Joseph hit 19 of 30 passes for 217 yards one touchdown and one critical interception in his Badgers debut. Running back Abu Sama, another key transfer pickup, carried 15 times for 49 yards with a long run of 7 yards.

Sophomore linebacker Mason Posa led all defenders with 15 tackles.

Here are five takeaways from the loss.

Turnovers were a killer

Wisconsin’s offense may ultimately prove to be better than last season, but it still doesn’t have the firepower to overcome massive mistakes like the one it made early in third quarter

Either Joseph overthrew Chris Brooks to the wide side of the field or Brooks was supposed to the run the play farther to the outside. Either way the result was ugly.

Cornerback DJ McKinney made an easy play to pick off the pass and then returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to push the Fighting Irish lead to 27-10 with 8:52 to play in the third quarter. If it wasn't apparant after Notre Dame's touchdown drive to open the second half that the Badgers were in a tough spot, it was crystal clear after this play,

At that point, 14 of Notre Dame's points came off turnovers.

Special teams made difference for Wisconsin

You can’t give the special teams an A for the night because of Harrison Bortolotti’s muffed kickoff. That turnover led to Notre Dame’s only touchdown of the first half.

But credit the Badgers punt rusher Liam Danitz and punter Sean West with assists on the team’s 10 first half points.

  • Danitz blocked Jasper Scaife’s punt on the Fighting Irish’s first possession to give UW the ball on the Notre Dame 37. The Badgers got to the 9-yard line before Gavin Lahm connected from 27 yards to give the team a 3-0 lead at the 6:32 mark of the first half.
  • West’s blasted a 70-yard punt 19 seconds into the second quarter that took a friendly roll and went out of bounds at the Notre Dame 1. After the defense forced a three and out, UW took over at Fighting irish 48. That was a 27-yard shift in field possession from one possession to the next due to West’s leg.

The field possession set up the Badgers’ first TD of the season, a 28-yard throw over the defense from Joseph to Malachi Coleman with 12:36 to go in the first half. The score tied the game, 10-10.

Malachi Coleman gives Joseph big target

At 6-5 and 205 pounds, Malachi Coleman was one of the Badgers’ most intriguing signings from the transfer portal. If you’re looking for a positive development from the Week 1 lose, look to him.

He made a nice double move that left him wide open for a 28-yard touchdown pass from Joseph at the 12:36 mark of the second quarter.

Coleman caught four passes for 76 yards. All three catches beside his touchdown went for first downs.

Kevin Heywood holds up for entire game

Right tackle Kevin Heywood, who missed almost all of fall camp due to a lower body injury, started the game and despite so much time away played the entire game, a positive development in the scope of the season.

Badgers coach Luke Fickell noted last week that the team would test its depth on the line. That came into play at right  guard where Stylz Blackmon and Blake Cherry rotated series throughout the night.

Defense wins on third down

Wisconsin could have been down by more in the first half, but it was able to shut down the Fighting Irish on third down. Notre Dame was 0 for 6 on those situations during the first two quarters, including a third-and-5 situation on the UW 8 that forced Notre Dame to settle for a field goal.

The defense was a strength of the team in camp and that showed in the first half. The Badgers were able to stay in the game by holding Notre Dame to 135 total yards and seven first downs.

UW forced three punts in the half and short circuited the a drive in the final minutes of the half when Notre Dame had a chance to swing momentum with a late score and the ball to start the second half.

Notre Dame finished the night 3 for 9 on third down.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: No. 5 Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13 | Instant takeaways from Week 1 loss

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