GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — CJ Carr threw two touchdown passes, Aneyas Williams ran for 90 yards and two more scores and No. 4 Notre Dame pulled away in the second half to beat Wisconsin 41-13 on Sunday night at Lambeau Field
This was the first college football game at the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers since 2016, when Wisconsin upset a fifth-ranked LSU team 16-14. Wisconsin also hung around for a while in this one as a three-touchdown underdog before Notre Dame outscored the Badgers 28-3 in the second half.
Notre Dame’s first touchdown came on a 3-yard reception by Green Bay resident James Flanigan, whose father and grandfather (each named Jim Flanigan) both played for the Packers.
Carr went 19 of 29 for 239 yards. His other touchdown completion was a 28-yarder to Nolan James Jr. with 1:51 left.
The Fighting Irish entered this season pledging to leave no doubt about their College Football Playoff worthiness after getting left out of the field last year despite winning their last 10 regular-season games by double-digit margins.
But the Irish’s performance early on created plenty of doubt about how effectively they can run the ball without Heisman Trophy finalist Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, the only two running backs selected in the first round of this year’s NFL draft.
Notre Dame led just 13-10 after a first half in which most of the noteworthy plays were on special teams. The Irish rushed for just 29 yards on 16 carries through the first two periods.
The Irish eventually took command.
Williams’ 3-yard touchdown run capped a 70-yard drive to open the second half. Colorado transfer DJ McKinney then intercepted Colton Joseph’s pass and ran untouched for a 55-yard touchdown to make it 27-10.
Gavin Lahm’s second field goal of the night cut Notre Dame’s lead to 27-13 near the end of the third, but Williams capped the Irish’s next drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
One encouraging performance for Notre Dame came from Purdue transfer Spencer Porath, who made field goals of 52 and 26 yards in the first half. Last season, Notre Dame didn’t make a field goal after Oct. 11.
Notre Dame also scored on Carr’s pass to Flanigan after the Irish recovered a muffed kickoff at Wisconsin’s 23.
Wisconsin’s best highlight arguably was a 70-yard punt from Sean West that rolled out of bounds at Notre Dame’s 1. Notre Dame went three-and-out on its next possession to give Wisconsin the ball just beyond midfield, setting up Joseph’s 28-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Malachi Coleman.
The takeaway
Wisconsin: After adding 34 transfers, Wisconsin certainly looks better than it has the last couple of years. But the Badgers needed to play mistake-free football to have a shot at pulling the upset, and they instead had two turnovers that led to Notre Dame touchdowns.
Notre Dame: The Irish’s defense could face some early adversity. The Irish lost preseason Associated Press All-America second-team safety Brauntae Johnson and defensive lineman Jason Onye to injuries during the game. Johnson was wearing a walking boot on the sideline during the second half. Preseason AP All-America second-team linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa didn’t play as he continues to recover from a knee injury that ended his 2025 season early.
Up next
Wisconsin: Hosts Western Ilinois on Saturday.
Notre Dame: Hosts Rice on Saturday.
