Wisconsin will have a big area of concern on Saturday against Notre Dame

The Wisconsin Badgers are going to have their hands full against Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton next weekend.

The Notre Dame offense will present a test, especially in the run game and on the outside. But the Fighting Irish offensive line is sub-par thanks in part to their turnstile at left tackle, so that paired with Jim Leonhard’s familiarity with Jack Coan could point to another great day from the Badger defense.

But we saw in Week 1 what an impact safety can do against Graham Mertz and the Wisconsin offense. Penn State Jaquan Brisker had an absolute day, capped off by a clutch fourth-quarter interception on the goal line.

Notre Dame has that impact safety in Kyle Hamilton—a player heralded as one of the best in the country and one of the highest-rated NFL Draft prospects.

So where will that big area of concern be for the Wisconsin offense? Wherever No. 14 is playing. Whether it’s deep in the secondary, on the line of scrimmage or in the middle of the field, Mertz must keep the ball away from Hamilton at all costs.

Through two games the star safety recorded 11 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss and 2 interceptions. His Week 1 interception against Florida State shows all you need to know about his range and playmaking ability.

Then today against Purdue, Hamilton wasted no time making a big impact against the Boilermaker offense.

Wisconsin’s offense should be able to find success on the ground against Notre Dame. But when they reach the red zone and other critical down-and-distance situations, Hamilton is sure to cause the unit absolute fits.

We’ll see whether Mertz will be up to the task this time around.

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