CJ Carr, Aneyas Williams Lead Notre Dame 41-13 Past Wisconsin in Season Opener/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ No. 4 Notre Dame overcame a three-point halftime lead to defeat Wisconsin 41-13 in its season opener at Lambeau Field. CJ Carr threw two touchdown passes, Aneyas Williams rushed for two scores and DJ McKinney returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown. The Fighting Irish scored touchdowns on all three of their second-half possessions but finished with injury concerns on defense.
Quick Look
- Final score: Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13.
- Notre Dame led only 13-10 at halftime before scoring 28 second-half points.
- CJ Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
- Aneyas Williams rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
- DJ McKinney delivered a 55-yard interception return for a score.
- Green Bay native James Flanigan caught Notre Dame’s first touchdown.
- Spencer Porath made field goals from 52 and 26 yards in his Notre Dame debut.
- Wisconsin committed two turnovers that produced Fighting Irish touchdowns.
- Notre Dame rushed for only 111 yards, including 29 during the first half.
- Irish defenders Brauntae Johnson and Jason Onye left with injuries.
- Notre Dame hosts Rice next; Wisconsin hosts Western Illinois.
Deep Look
Notre Dame breaks open close game after halftime
GREEN BAY, Wis. — CJ Carr threw two touchdown passes, Aneyas Williams ran for 90 yards and two scores, and No. 4 Notre Dame pulled away from Wisconsin for a 41-13 season-opening victory Sunday night at Lambeau Field.
Notre Dame entered halftime with a narrow 13-10 advantage before controlling the final two quarters. The Fighting Irish scored touchdowns on each of their three second-half possessions and added a defensive score from Colorado transfer DJ McKinney.
The victory came in the 13th edition of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series.
“We prepared for a battle,” Carr said. “We got a battle in the first half.”
Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 239 yards. His final touchdown was a 28-yard completion to Nolan James Jr. with 1:51 remaining.
Williams sparks the second-half surge
Notre Dame opened the second half with a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ended on Williams’ 3-yard touchdown run. The score extended the lead to 20-10 and marked the beginning of the Irish takeover.
McKinney then intercepted Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph and ran untouched for a 55-yard touchdown, pushing the advantage to 27-10.
Wisconsin responded with Gavin Lahm’s second field goal, but Williams capped Notre Dame’s next possession with a 5-yard touchdown run. Carr’s late scoring pass to James completed the 28-point second half.
Williams finished with 90 rushing yards as Notre Dame tried to establish a new backfield following the departures of first-round NFL draft selections Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
Notre Dame’s running game starts slowly
The final margin concealed some early problems for the Fighting Irish offense.
Notre Dame produced only 29 rushing yards on 16 first-half attempts. The Irish improved after halftime but finished with 111 yards on 32 carries, an average of less than 3.5 yards per attempt.
The sluggish start raised questions about how effectively Notre Dame can replace Love, a Heisman Trophy finalist, and Price.
The Irish nevertheless generated enough balance after halftime to sustain three consecutive touchdown drives.
“There’s nothing great that comes from something that’s easy,” Carr said, recounting Freeman’s message. “We knew it was going to be a struggle. It’s what we wanted, and we ended up finishing really strong.”
Green Bay native scores at Lambeau Field
Notre Dame’s first touchdown carried special significance for James Flanigan, a Green Bay resident whose father and grandfather—both named Jim Flanigan—played for the Green Bay Packers.
Flanigan caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Carr, giving three generations of his family a connection to the field.
“There’s three generations of Flanigans who have been on that field and made some plays,” he said. “That’s really special.”
Sunday’s matchup was the first college football game at Lambeau Field since 2016, when Wisconsin upset fifth-ranked LSU 16-14.
Badgers competitive before costly turnovers
Wisconsin stayed within striking distance for the first half despite entering as a three-touchdown underdog.
The Badgers are attempting to recover from consecutive losing seasons after adding 34 players through the transfer portal. They appeared more competitive early but could not maintain their momentum after halftime.
“I don’t have a great explanation for the second half,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “I give them a lot of credit. We kind of held the energy and created a lot of momentum in the first half. In the second half, we could do none.”
Wisconsin’s two turnovers led directly to Notre Dame touchdowns, eliminating its opportunity to complete the upset.
The official Wisconsin box score confirmed the 41-13 result and Notre Dame’s decisive scoring drives after halftime.
Freeman prepared Irish for difficult opener
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman had warned his players that Wisconsin would offer a greater challenge than the teams’ recent records suggested.
Freeman played for Fickell at Ohio State and later coached alongside him at Cincinnati, giving him firsthand knowledge of the Wisconsin coach’s approach.
The Irish entered the season determined to establish their College Football Playoff credentials after being excluded from last year’s field despite ending the regular season with 10 consecutive double-digit victories.
Their slow start created some uncertainty, but the emphatic second half allowed Notre Dame to leave Green Bay with a comfortable victory.
Defensive injuries create concerns
Notre Dame’s defense delivered a strong performance but lost two players to injuries.
Preseason AP All-America second-team safety Brauntae Johnson and defensive lineman Jason Onye left during the game. Freeman did not provide updates on either player afterward.
Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, another preseason AP second-team All-American, did not play as he continues recovering from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season.
Porath strengthens Notre Dame’s kicking game
Purdue transfer Spencer Porath offered Notre Dame an encouraging development on special teams.
Porath made field goals from 52 and 26 yards in his Irish debut. Notre Dame had not converted a field goal after Oct. 11 during the previous season.
Up next
Notre Dame will host Rice on Saturday in its home opener.
Wisconsin returns home to face Western Illinois on Saturday.
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