Stingy Wisconsin defense readies for Coan, Fighting Irish

Updated Sep. 20, 2021 3:45 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin ranks second in the nation in total defense. The Badgers believe they still have plenty of room to improve on that side of the ball.

The next step is getting the ball back by producing turnovers rather than forcing punts.

Wisconsin (1-1) has only one takeaway through its first two games. That came on a fourth-quarter interception by Donte Burton in a

“Any chance we get to create turnovers, we’ve got to do it,” Wisconsin safety Scott Nelson said.

The

Coan was Wisconsin’s starting quarterback for 18 games from 2018-19 but

Wisconsin’s players respected Coan so much that

Although Coan threw a pick-six and lost a fumble in

“He’s going to sit in that pocket and he knows how to read defenses really well,” Wisconsin linebacker Jack Sanborn said. “He’s not going to make any risky decisions. He’s not going to put the ball where it’s not a good place to put it.”

Wisconsin’s defense represents the toughest challenge yet for a Notre Dame offense that has struggled due to an uncharacteristically ineffective line.

The Badgers are allowing only 33 yards rushing per game,

The Badgers are facing a Notre Dame offense that has allowed 14 sacks through its first three games.

(105.7) and 122nd in

The Irish must play as efficiently as possible against

“We’ve got to keep their defense on the field,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “We’ve got to be productive and we’ve got to sustain some drives ourselves.”

Notre Dame has compensated for its lack of a consistent rushing attack by producing big plays. The Irish’s three touchdowns in a

That’s one area where Wisconsin has been somewhat vulnerable.

The Badgers allowed Jahan Dotson to score on a 49-yard catch and set up another touchdown with a 42-yard reception in a

“They are similar (to Penn State) in that way,” Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. “They’re going to throw the ball vertically down the field. They’ve been a big-play offense. That’s kind of swung momentum in their last couple of games in a big way.”

Notes: The Wisconsin defense will also get a lift this week from the return of Leo Chenal, who ranked second on the team in tackles last season but missed the Badgers’ first two games after testing positive for COVID-19. ... Wisconsin officials say cornerback Faion Hicks and safety Collin Wilder are questionable for Saturday’s game after neither played against Eastern Michigan.

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AP freelance writer John Fineran contributed to this report.

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