This year’s Shamrock Series game looks like it will the barn burner everyone expected it to be. The game could just as easily swing as a dominant performance for one team or another. For now, Notre Dame has some work to do as it trails Wisconsin, 3-0, after one quarter.
The Irish took the ball first at their own 22-yard line and only moved backwards as Jack Coan was sacked by Matt Henningsen. Jay Bramblett couldn’t punt the ball out of Irish territory, and Graham Mertz made him pay with a 23-yard completion to Kendric Pryor on his first play. The Badgers couldn’t move much after that, but Collin Larsh salvaged the drive with a 37-yard field goal.
After Coan took another sack, his next drive went a lot better as he executed a pass-heavy attack to counter the Badgers’ strong run defense. He completed six passes to set up first-and-goal on the 10. When a pair of runs went nowhere, Coan went deep in the pocket for a pass but fell down at the 21. Jonathan Doerer came on to tie the game but missed a 39-yard field goal, keeping the Irish off the scoreboard.
The game then reached a stall as the teams traded three-and-outs. After that, Mertz seized momentum on a 42-yard pass to Clay Cundiff to set the Badgers up on the Irish’s 30. The Irish soon put a stop to that by stuffing Chez Mellusi on fourth-and-1. You never know what’s going to happen next in a game like that.