Notre Dame Opens 2026 With Ugly but Impressive Win Over Wisconsin

Notre Dame’s revenge tour has officially begun, and the opening chapter is complete. It certainly wasn’t flawless, but the Fighting Irish accomplished the most important objective: they left Lambeau Field with a convincing 41-13 win over Wisconsin and a 1-0 record.

Sunday night’s season opener was far from perfect for Notre Dame. Still, the Irish delivered a quietly dominant performance when it mattered most. They weren’t at their best, but they didn’t need to be. After Week 1, Notre Dame has a decisive victory in the books and its entire 2026 season still ahead of it.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Notre Dame’s win over Wisconsin.

A Game of Two Very Different Halves

At halftime, it would have been easy to question everything Notre Dame was doing. The first half was hardly encouraging. The offense struggled to find a rhythm, special teams had several issues, and the defense repeatedly had trouble getting Wisconsin’s offense off the field.

Yet Notre Dame somehow entered the locker room with a 13-10 advantage, which felt fortunate given how the opening half unfolded.

Everything changed immediately after halftime.

Notre Dame put together an excellent opening drive to start the third quarter, and shortly afterward, DJ McKinney intercepted Colton Joseph and returned the pick for a touchdown. Just like that, what had been a three-point game became a 17-point Notre Dame advantage.

Wisconsin’s offense simply couldn’t generate enough momentum in the second half to make things interesting again. Once Notre Dame created separation, the game was essentially under control.

Is Bryce Young Ready for a Breakout?

Notre Dame’s defense wasn’t perfect, particularly when it came to getting off the field, but it was far from a poor performance. The Irish generally kept Wisconsin’s plays in front of them and forced the Badgers to put together long, sustained possessions.

That approach ultimately worked, as Wisconsin managed only 13 points.

One of the most encouraging defensive performances came from Bryce Young. Although he didn’t officially record a sack, Young finished with a tackle for loss and consistently created pressure around Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph.

That pressure helped contribute to the interception that McKinney turned into a touchdown.

Notre Dame already appears loaded at linebacker and in the secondary. The bigger question is whether someone besides Boubacar Traore can consistently generate pressure off the edge.

Young made a compelling argument Sunday night that he could become that player.

Pass Protection Is Still a Concern

Wisconsin may have struggled last season, but its defense was legitimate, particularly up front. The Badgers generated pressure for much of the night, while Notre Dame’s running game had difficulty finding room during the first half.

Wisconsin also wasn’t particularly concerned about Notre Dame beating it deep because the Irish simply weren’t giving CJ Carr enough time to consistently push the ball downfield.

Carr was often forced to rely on shorter routes, and Wisconsin was able to limit those opportunities for stretches of the game.

It’s important to remember that this was Week 1 and Notre Dame’s offensive line was playing together in a real game for the first time. There should be improvement as the season progresses.

Still, pass protection wasn’t exactly an encouraging starting point.

Jordan Faison Looks Like the No. 1 Target

Jordan Faison has already shown flashes of being an important player for Notre Dame, but Sunday night made it look increasingly likely that he’ll be the centerpiece of the Irish receiving corps this season.

That was expected coming into the year, but the struggles in pass protection made his importance even more obvious. With Carr frequently under pressure, Faison appeared to be one of the few receivers who could consistently get open quickly enough to give his quarterback an answer.

Obviously, one game doesn’t tell the entire story. But if Sunday’s performance is any indication, Notre Dame could be leaning heavily on Faison throughout the season.

And that’s certainly not a criticism of his performance — quite the opposite.

Special Teams Had Its Ups and Downs

Notre Dame’s special teams have traditionally been a major strength under Marcus Freeman. Against Wisconsin, however, the unit experienced just about every possible outcome.

The Good

Spencer Porath was perfect on his field-goal attempts, and Notre Dame had no problems converting extra points.

Ko’o Kia also made an important play by recovering a mishandled Wisconsin kickoff return. Despite the discussion during the NBC broadcast, the play didn’t appear to provide an obvious reason for an overturn.

The Bad

Calling this one “bad” might be a little harsh because sometimes you simply have to appreciate an outstanding play by the opponent.

Wisconsin’s second-quarter punt that pinned Notre Dame inside its own 1-yard line was exceptional. It may have been one of the best punts you’ll see all season.

The Ugly

Blocked punts are almost never acceptable, and this one came at an especially damaging moment because it played directly into Wisconsin’s game plan.

Notre Dame has generally enjoyed a major special-teams advantage since Freeman took over. That advantage wasn’t nearly as apparent Sunday night.

Welcome to Notre Dame Football in 2026

The combination of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price may have spoiled some Notre Dame fans.

Without Love in the backfield, the Irish don’t have that one superstar who can turn virtually any touch into a touchdown. But that doesn’t mean this offense can’t still become a very good unit.

It may simply have to win in a different way.

Notre Dame will likely need to embrace a more physical style, absorb contact and consistently win the line of scrimmage. That’s not exactly unfamiliar territory for the program, but it feels different without a dynamic superstar in the backfield.

One player worth watching closely is Aneyas Williams. Can he become a dependable between-the-tackles runner? And how quickly can Notre Dame’s offensive line improve its pass protection?

Those questions should become clearer over the next few weeks, particularly before the schedule becomes more difficult.

For all the things that went wrong Sunday night, Notre Dame still walked out of Lambeau Field with a 41-13 victory over a Wisconsin team that was capable of making life difficult.

That’s perhaps the most encouraging takeaway of all.

The Irish weren’t at their best, yet they still won by 28 points.

If Notre Dame can clean up the issues that surfaced in Week 1 while continuing to build on the things it did well, this could be a very promising start to the 2026 season.