GREEN BAY, Wis. — CJ Carr threw two touchdowns, and DJ McKinney scored on a 55-yard interception return as fourth-ranked Notre Dame pulled away in the second half to secure a 41-13 nonconference victory over Wisconsin in the season-opening Shamrock Series on Sunday night at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.
The Irish, serving as the home team, took their first step toward returning to the College Football Playoff after being snubbed last season. Notre Dame dropped its first two games last season and then won 10 in a row, but the Irish were bypassed by the playoff selection committee in favor of Miami, which had defeated the Irish in the season opener.
Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 239 yards. Aneyas Williams ran for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
After struggling to a 13-10 halftime lead, Notre Dame took control early in the third quarter with a 70-yard touchdown drive and McKinney’s pick-six.
The Irish opened the third quarter with a nine-play drive, taking a 20-10 lead on Williams’ 3-yard scoring run off the left side. Carr completed 4 of 5 passes on the drive for 51 yards, including a 28-yarder to Nolan James Jr. at the Wisconsin 6.
On the ensuing possession, McKinney gathered in Colton Joseph’s off-target throw and returned it up the right side to make it 27-10 with 8:52 left in the third quarter.
Gavin Lahm’s 36-yard field goal brought Wisconsin to within 27-13. Notre Dame responded with a methodical 75-yard scoring drive, extending the lead to 34-13 on Williams’ 5-yard touchdown run with 10:48 remaining.
Carr capped the second-half dominance with a 28-yard scoring strike to James with 1:51 left.
Joseph, a redshirt junior transfer from Old Dominion and the Sun Belt Conference offensive player of the year last season, completed 19 of 30 passes for 217 yards, including one touchdown and a costly interception, in his Wisconsin debut.
Wisconsin tied it 10-10 with 12:36 left in the second quarter on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Joseph to Malachi Coleman, who was wide open deep down the right side behind the secondary.
On the next possession, Carr hit Jordan Faison with a 30-yard pass, keying a 67-yard drive that culminated in Spencer Porath’s 26-yard field goal, putting the Irish up 13-10 midway through the period.
Porath brought Notre Dame even at 3-3 with a 52-yard field goal with 1:31 left in the opening period to cap an 11-play, 48-yard drive, kept alive with a fourth-and-1 conversion from the Irish 42.
Wisconsin’s Harrison Bortolotti muffed the ensuing kickoff, and Kahanu Kia recovered for the Irish on the Badgers’ 13-yard line. Four plays later, Carr hit tight end James Flanigan, who played in high school at nearby Green Bay Notre Dame, in the left flat with a 3-yard scoring pass to make it 10-3.
Wisconsin blocked a punt on Notre Dame’s first possession and advanced 28 yards to the 9-yard line before settling for Lahm’s 27-yard field goal.
–Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media
