Notre Dame vs Wisconsin – Keys to Victory For The Irish Offense
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Notre Dame kicks off its 2026 season on Sunday night when it takes on the Wisconsin Badgers on Lambeau Field. The Fighting Irish offense will look different this season after losing two star running backs, its top receiver, top tight end and two starters up front. Despite the losses expectations remain very high for the offense, which goes into year three of Mike Denbrock's tenure.
Wisconsin struggled as a team last season, but its defense remained a quality group under head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. The unit was especially good down the stretch, holding Indiana, Oregon, Washington, Illinois and Minnesota to just 17.8 points per game, 298.0 yards per game and 4.7 yards per play. Notre Dame will have its hands full against the Badger defense.
If Notre Dame is going to not only win, but also play to its potential, it must thrive in several key areas.
1) Start Fast – This will always remain a very important key to victory for Notre Dame, and it's an area the Irish have often struggled over the years. In a game against an opponent like Wisconsin, a team that wants to slow the game down and limit possessions, Notre Dame can't afford to get off to a slow start. The longer this game remains competitive the more confident Wisconsin will become, and the more opportunities there is for quarterback Colton Joseph to make game changing plays. Notre Dame's offense can help out its own defense by putting this game away early. Wisconsin is simply not an offense that can thrive when playing from behind.
A fast start is also important for building confidence on the Notre Dame side. The Irish are a talented offense, but one that has a lot of new places, and some old faces in new places. A fast start would mean the remade offensive line came out firing on all cylinders, it would mean the new-look receiving corps and backfield are performing well, and it likely means quarterback CJ Carr is thriving.
2) Use Your Speed Advantage – Notre Dame has a speed and athleticism advantage over the Wisconsin defense, and it's up to Denbrock to figure out how to maximize that advantage. Using good pre-snap motion and movement would help, especially if they're able to get some quick motions that stack the receivers or using Orbit motions that can ideally freeze the defense long enough to allow the offense to out-leverage the defense to the call side.
Getting wide receivers Jordan Faison, Mylan Graham, Jaden Greathouse and perhaps Bubba Frazier in space is also a key to success against the Badgers. Notre Dame tends to be a pass game that uses a lot of horizontal stretch concepts and iso routes. When there's a speed advantage on the perimeter, getting wide receivers on the move more is effective, and it's up to Denbrock to design a game plan that allows his wideouts to get the ball on the move across the field and vertically.
3) Control the Line of Scrimmage – Wisconsin has a massive defensive line that averages 324.5 pounds in its interior two-deep. If Notre Dame starts Styles Prescod at right guard the Irish interior would average just 308 pounds and would be built more on athletic skill than power. That makes this matchup different than when it was expected that 325-pound Sullivan Absher was expected to start at right guard.
Wisconsin had a strong rush defense in 2025, ranking 15th in yards allowed (105.3), 18th in yards allowed per rush (3.4) and 18th in fewest runs of 20+ yards allowed. The size up front combines well with talented linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano to give the Badgers a stout presence up the middle. If Notre Dame is going to dominate this game the way it should the interior of the line will need to open up holes against this talented group of Badgers.
Tackles Guerby Lambert and Will Black will also be tested by Sebastian Cheeks and the other Wisconsin edges. They will play a key role in giving Carr time to pick apart the Wisconsin defense.
4) Be Patient – Wisconsin plays a lot of off coverage and is willing to give quick throws and some intermediate looks, which is why the Badgers ranked 135th last season in completion percentage allowed and 101st in yards per attempt. But Wisconsin also ranked 36th in yards allowed per completion (10.9) thanks to its ability to rally to the ball and limit yards after the catch. Notre Dame will need to be patient early against these looks, keep getting the ball out and moving the chains and wait for its opportunity to rip off some big plays instead of forcing the ball and giving Wisconsin a chance to create negatives.
5) Protect the Football – Notre Dame has a significant talent advantage and a statistical advantage on paper in this matchup. The Irish were good at protecting the ball last season and Wisconsin ranked 134th in turnovers forced last season. Notre Dame must continue protecting the ball well and not letting Wisconsin change its fortunes in the turnover game. The only chance Wisconsin has to win this game is to force Notre Dame into big mistakes that give its own offense short fields, or even getting points on defense.
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