Three things to know about Notre Dame’s Week 4 opponent, Wisconsin
It’s a year later than originally scheduled, but no less exciting a matchup.
No. 12 Notre Dame (3-0) and No. 18 Wisconsin (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten) meet Saturday at Solider Field in Chicago, with ESPN’s College GameDay and FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff show tagging along.
For Notre Dame, it’s the return of the Shamrock Series after a three-year hiatus. For both teams, it’s an early-season measuring stick. It’s also their first meeting since 1964.
Here’s a look at three things to know about the Badgers.
1. Ground-centric offense
Wisconsin football and a consistent running game are almost always synonymous.
This season’s rushing attack looks like it might fall short of dominant, but through two games it appears to be the core of the Badgers’ offensive identity once again. And like some of their vintage offenses, it has multiple dependable running backs.
The No. 1 option, though, came as somewhat of a surprise.
Jalen Berger, a former top-100 recruit, took over lead back duties as a freshman last season and rushed for 301 yards (5.0 yards per carry) in four 2020 games.
But in Wisconsin’s Week 1 loss to Penn State, he stood on the sidelines the entire time — in uniform but not part of the plans. Instead, Clemson transfer Chez Mellusi earned the bulk of the work. Redshirt junior Isaac Guerendo was his No. 2.
In two games, Mellusi has totaled 265 yards on 51 attempts (5.3 yards per rush) and two touchdowns. He spent two seasons at Clemson as All-American Travis Etienne’s backup, rushing for 427 yards on 6.0 yards per carry.
Berger played in Wisconsin’s Week 2 win over Eastern Michigan, rushing 15 times for 62 yards and a touchdown. Between Berger, Mellusi and Guerendo (17 carries for 148 yards), Wisconsin has a reliable three-back rotation.
2. Stout defense
Wisconsin finished in the top 20 in scoring defense every season but one from 2011-20, allowing fewer than 20 points per game eight times in that span. Two games into 2021, the Badgers have allowed just 23 points (11.5 per game) and 4.37 yards per play.
Expectations are high for a unit that returned 82 percent of its production and held opponents to 5.01 yards per play in seven games last year (18th nationally).
Oddly enough, Wisconsin has kept opponents off the scoreboard without creating much havoc. It’s a small sample, but the Badgers are 59th in tackles for loss, 68th in sacks and 103rd in passes defended. They have not forced a fumble.
Wisconsin has, though, allowed just five opponent third-down conversions on 24 attempts (20.8 percent). Only six Football Bowl Subdivision teams have a lower opponent-conversion rate so far.
Senior linebacker Jack Sanborn, the team’s top tackler each of the last two seasons, is the defense’s leader and one of four 2020 starting linebackers who returned this season. The lone 2020 All-Big Ten defender is cornerback Caesar Williams, a third-team selection in his sixth season of college football.
3. Graham Mertz’s bumpy road
Jack Coan’s foot injury last preseason gave Wisconsin a chance to start Graham Mertz, the highest-ranked quarterback signee in program history. His starting debut delivered on that status, with Mertz completing 20 of 21 passes for 248 yards with five touchdowns in a 45-7 defeat of Illinois. It felt like a star’s arrival.
But his performance since then has been pedestrian, at best. In the eight games since that splashy outing, the redshirt sophomore quarterback has connected on 134 of 226 throws for 1,316 yards (5.82 yards per attempt) with seven interceptions and four touchdowns.
This season, he has completed 36 of 54 passes for 326 yards with zero touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
Wisconsin went 4-3 last season, mainly because of an unreliable, non-explosive offense. It mustered just 10 points in this year’s opener against Penn State because its passing game couldn’t get off the ground. Mertz threw two interceptions and averaged 5.0 yards per pass in that game. He has, so far, been a downgrade from Coan.
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