Wisconsin Football: 3 Notre Dame players to know before Saturday

The Wisconsin football team is back in action in Week 4 and will face off against a top-12 team in Notre Dame on Saturday. The game will be played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Despite being ranked below the Irish, the Badgers are considered 5.5-point favorites, according to WynnBET.

This is a big matchup for the Wisconsin football team and the Irish are not a common opponent. In fact, the Badgers have played Notre Dame just 17 times, and the last time these two teams played was in 1964, a 37-7 Notre Dame victory. The Irish lead the all-time series, 8-6-2.

When two teams don’t play for almost 60 years, fans aren’t necessarily familiar with opposing players.

Notre Dame has a lot of talented players that could make an impact in the game. Here are three players that Wisconsin football fans should know for Saturday’s big game.

1. Kyle Hamilton – Safety

I had to lead the list off with the best player on the Irish. Kyle Hamilton is one of the best defensive players in the country. The Notre Dame defensive back is one of the biggest playmakers in the country too. In just three games, he has three interceptions, including two against Flordia State in their season opener.

He added another ridiculous pick against Notre Dame last weekend in the end zone on a tipped pass. Hamilton is the type of player who is constantly around the ball. He has 21 total tackles, which is the second-most on the team.

When Paul Chryst and the offense get to work planning for this game, Hamilton is going to be the first player they think about. Be ready to hear Hamilton’s name on Saturday, because you are going to hear it early and often.

2. Jack Coan – Quarterback

Of course, we have to talk about Coan. But really, he is going to be a big part of the Irish’s game plan against Wisconsin. In his first start at Notre Dame, Coan went out and set the record for most passing yards in their first game as the Irish quarterback.

Wisconsin fans on Twitter acted as well as you thought they would. Many wanted to come out and explain that the Badgers never should have let Coan go and that they should have let Coan start as soon as he was healthy again last season. I think we can all agree that was an overreaction, especially since Mertz happen to struggle just the day before. Since that game, Coan has come back down to earth a bit, even being benched during the Toledo game before coming back in to lead the game-winning drive at the end of the game.

On the season, Coan has completed 62-of-99 (63%) passes for 828 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. He will certainly be a big part of the Irish’s game plan on Saturday.

3. Michael Mayer – Tight End

Often time on the other end of the Jack Coan passes is sophomore tight end, Michael Mayer. Like Graham Mertz has Jake Ferguson, Coan has Mayer. Coan has looked to find Mayer early and often in games.

In their first game against Florida State, Mayer enjoyed a very productive game. He caught 9 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The next week against Toledo, he added seven more receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Last week against Purdue, he caught just one pass for five yards, but I think he will probably be much more involved this week, especially if the Badgers shut down the running game.