Notre Dame entered its matchup against Wisconsin as the perceived underdog, but by the time the final seconds expired it was clear the Fighting Irish were the superior team. Notre Dame finished with a flurry en route to a 41-13 victory over the Badgers.
There were a number of standouts for the Irish, but there were three players that stood above the rest. Here are the Irish Breakdown players of the game.
OFFENSE - KEVIN AUSTIN, WIDE RECEIVER
Stats: 6 catches, 76 yards, 12.7 YPC, 2 touchdowns
Austin's performance goes beyond its impact in the win over Wisconsin, but the player of the game emphasis will focus on that. Austin gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game with a 36-yard touchdown grab on a contested throw. His second score put some distance between the Irish and Badgers.
Two of Austin's catches obviously went for touchdowns, but three of his four remaining catches converted a third-down. That means five of his six catches either went for a touchdown or converted a third down. His final third down grab was a great catch of a low throw, and that chain moving play set up Austin's final grab, which was a 16-yard touchdown in which he worked free against the zone, made the catch and then worked his way into the end zone.
Austin also handled himself well in the run game.
DEFENSE - CAM HART, CORNERBACK
Stats: 2 interceptions
Runners Up: DT Jayson Ademilola, LB Drew White, DT Howard Cross III, DT Jacob Lacey
There were several players that had outstanding performances, but when thinking about who stood above the rest its hard not to go with Hart. The junior cornerback picked off two passes in the game and both were game changers.
Hart's first interception set up the first Austin touchdown reception that gave Notre Dame the lead. His second interception, which he returned 32 yards into Wisconsin territory, set up a field goal that made it a two touchdown game.
Hart made great plays on both interceptions. He made a great read of in-breaking routes both times, exploded downhill and took a great angle to the football, which allowed him to beat the receiver to the football both times.
SPECIAL TEAMS - CHRIS TYREE, KICK RETURN
Stats: 6 returns, 132 yards, 1 touchdown
Arguably no play in this game had a bigger impact than Tyree's 96-yard kick return for a score, the first of his career. Notre Dame's starting quarterback had been knocked out of the game, and the Badgers had just taken a 13-10 lead after forcing a Pyne fumble.
Tyree fielded the kick in the right corner, exploded through a hole on the left side of the line and then outran the Wisconsin defense. He made a great open field move that made the kicker miss and then allowed him to explode through a crease for the score.
Every ounce of momentum that Wisconsin had built up in the third quarter was gone with that score from Tyree.
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