No. 4 Notre Dame rolls Wisconsin 41-13 at Lambeau Field in season opener

No. 4 Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 41-13 on Sunday night at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, opening the 2026 college football season with a victory that was far more comfortable than the first half suggested. The Fighting Irish trailed by only three points at halftime before pulling away with 28 unanswered second-half points to hand the Badgers a lopsided defeat in the Big Ten opener for both programs.

Wisconsin kept the game competitive through the first 30 minutes, going into halftime down just 13-10 and showing signs of an offense capable of moving the ball. Quarterback Braedyn Locke's replacement — listed in sources as the Badgers' signal-caller — completed 19 of 30 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown, with his best moment coming on a 28-yard scoring strike to Malachi Coleman. Wisconsin finished with 121 rushing yards, but the ground game was not enough to sustain momentum into the second half.

Second half unravels for Wisconsin

The Badgers' hopes of pulling an upset effectively ended on two pivotal plays in the third quarter. A muffed kickoff return gave Notre Dame favorable field position and swung momentum decisively toward the Irish, while a quarterback interception was returned for a touchdown to push the lead to 27-10. Those back-breaking miscues, combined with Wisconsin's inability to generate consistent offense against Notre Dame's defense, allowed the Irish to coast to the final margin.

Notre Dame's win was not without its storylines. Sophomore tight end James Flanigan scored his first career touchdown at Lambeau Field — the same iconic stadium where both his father and grandfather played for the Green Bay Packers. Running backs Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. contributed as receiving threats to complement the ground game, and a standout special-teams play from Kahanu Kia earned recognition among the game's top individual performances. Senior safety Adon Shuler and senior linebacker Drayk Bowen were among the veteran leaders who helped set the tone for the Irish's second-half surge.

Head coach Marcus Freeman acknowledged the debut was imperfect but emphasized the team's ability to respond after a sluggish opening half — a response he said reflected offseason work aimed at improving Notre Dame's early-season performance. For Wisconsin, the result left head coach program with immediate corrective work ahead. The Badgers face a short turnaround, hosting Western Illinois at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, while Notre Dame moves on with its ranking and momentum intact.

In the broader Big Ten landscape, Wisconsin was one of only two conference teams to lose in Week 1, joining Rutgers, which fell 37-21 to UMass in a notable upset. Notre Dame, playing as an independent, improved to 1-0 with the wire-to-wire control it ultimately displayed once the second half began.