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Key storylines for Notre Dame football before Wisconsin matchup

Despite the fact that Wisconsin and Notre Dame haven’t played each other since 1964 — a 31-7 Irish win in the first game with Ara Parseghian as Irish head coach — there is still plenty of history and many interesting storylines to Saturday’s Shamrock Series matchup at Soldier Field.

Most pressing, Notre Dame is looking to improve its record to 4-0, secure the biggest win of this season so far, and make Brian Kelly the winningest head coach in program history with 106 victories.

And while the Fighting Irish list as a six-point underdog in the game, Notre Dame also hopes to lift its Shamrock Series record to 10-0 and its all-time record at Soldier Field to 10-0-2.

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Playoff hopes for both the No. 12 Irish (3-0) and the No. 18 Badgers (1-1) are still very much alive, but neither team can afford to take a loss.

Wisconsin already lost 16-10 to Penn State in a tough season opener, and the sluggish start and growing perception that Notre Dame isn’t as good as was advertised in the preseason, would make even a single loss tough to absorb.

Maximum exposure

If Kelly and his staff hold one specific recruiting advantage over every other school and program in the country, it’s being able to pitch to prospects the exposure and memories they’ll gain by playing many of their college games inside NFL stadiums.

The pandemic spoiled a chance last season for Notre Dame to play for the first time at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. (home of the NFL’s Packers), but the Irish still played Clemson at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte (Panthers) in the ACC Championship, then played Alabama at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Cowboys) in a College Football Playoff semifinal.

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (Jets and Giants), TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. (Jaguars), State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (Cardinals) and this weekend at Soldier Field in Chicago (Bears) are a few other NFL stadiums where Notre Dame has played in recent years.

“If you look at it over the course of your four years here, you’re playing in a lot of NFL venues that you don’t get anywhere else in the country,” Kelly said of his messaging to potential recruits. “Our guys are excited about these opportunities. The Shamrock games are important to them, they see them a little bit differently, especially when you are playing close to home in Chicago.”

The Alamodome in San Antonio, Fenway Park in Boston and Yankee Stadium in New York City are a few other iconic venues beyond the NFL stadiums that Notre Dame has visited in recent years.

And in 2022, Notre Dame is slated to play Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore (Ravens) and play road games against Ohio State at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio, and against USC at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Bertrand’s breakout

Playing as a special teams regular the previous two seasons, junior linebacker JD Bertrand racked up 14 appearances as a freshman and sophomore but had only seven career tackles to show for those.

What a difference a year makes.

A runaway frontrunner for Notre Dame’s biggest surprise player in 2021, Bertrand is riding a three-game stretch of production that few Irish linebackers ever have.

Bertrand — whose 11.7 tackles per game rank fifth nationally — is cashing in big during his first year as a starter.

Bertrand’s 35 tackles are the most stops through three games to start a season since Courtney Watson tallied 38 over his first three in 2001.

And with 12 tackles against Florida State in his first career start, followed by 11 stops against Toledo and another 12 against Purdue, Bertrand also became the first Irish player with at least 10 tackles in three straight games to open a season since Watson, again in 2001.

Kelly celebrated Bertrand’s work on Monday but warned that his linebacker’s heavy workload cannot be sustained and that freshman Prince Kollie needs to develop quickly and absorb some snaps at a position thinned by injury and circumstance.

“He needs a break,” Kelly said of Bertrand.

Rushed evolution 

Kelly outlined on Monday the improvement and development he sees from his players every day.

And with the meat of the Irish schedule arriving Saturday against Wisconsin, that improvement and development better come fast or Notre Dame could get buried during this stretch.

After Wisconsin, the Irish welcome No. 8 Cincinnati to Notre Dame Stadium in a game that could become a top-10 matchup, then travel to Blacksburg, Va., for a tough road test at Virginia Tech.

“It’s a pretty big grind for us,” Kelly admitted, while stressing that his guys are up to the challenge.

“Each and every day, they’re learning how to be a championship football team,” Kelly added. “Regardless of how important the winning is, our process and how we go to work each and every day, and how we handle things, is more important.”

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