Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly updates Jack Coan injury

Notre Dame pulled off a commanding 41-13 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday, but quarterback Jack Coan left the matchup early with a left ankle injury.

Head Coach Brian Kelly met with the media after the game and said he is “pretty optimistic” Coan wont miss next week’s game against No. 8 Cincinnati.

Kelly said X-rays were “clean” and Coan’s injury doesn’t appear serious.

“It’s a soft-tissue injury,” Kelly said. “It doesn’t even respond like a high ankle sprain, so we’re pretty optimistic that we’ll be able to see him back next week.”

Coan was replaced by Drew Pyne, who looked more than prepared for his debut on the national stage.

Pyne finished 6-of-8 for 81 yards and a touchdown. Both quarterbacks earned praise from their head coach after the game.

“It’s one thing to practice, but you got to flip it to a performance mindset,” Kelly said. “They can flip it. They can prepare and then flip it to performance, and that’s a really good thing to do. … We’ve got a long way to go still, but they’re getting better each week. I’m having fun coaching them.

“They’re not perfect by any means, but they’re going to be better in November, and that’s the nice part about it. That’s what energizes you as a coach.”

 Notre Dame defense emerges

Notre Dame’s defense hadn’t looked that good this season. Then came Saturday at Soldier Field, and the Irish were absolutely dominant on that side of the ball in blasting Wisconsin 41-13.

The victory was Brian Kelly’s 106^th at Notre Dame, making him the winningest coach in school history. The Irish didn’t do much offensively, rushing for just 3 yards and finishing with 242 overall. But they forced five turnovers, had two pick-sixes and got a kickoff return for a touchdown.

The Irish loaded up to stop the run, as most Badgers opponents do, and Notre Dame’s front made it work. The Badgers managed just 74 yards on the ground, and quarterback Graham Mertz isn’t a good enough passer to overcome a struggling rushing attack. Mertz was just 18-of-40 for 240 yards and four picks, and it got to the point that it’s fair to wonder if Badgers fans cringed whenever he dropped back to pass.

The victory was Brian Kelly’s 106^th at Notre Dame, making him the winningest coach in school history.