Wisconsin rules out seven players ahead of kickoff vs. Notre Dame

Seven players will miss Saturday’s game for Wisconsin against Notre Dame. 247Sports’ Evan Flood reports that running back Braelon Allen, fullback Quan Easterling, tight end Jack Eschenbach, safety Tyler Mais, and linebackers Mike Maskalunas, Jordan Turner, and Aaron Witt will miss the game due to a variety of injuries.

Allen has seven rushing attempts for 30 yards and a touchdown on the season. Easterling has not recorded any statistics, while Eschenbach has one reception for six yards. Mais has one tackle on the season, while Maskalunas has five. Witt has three tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble on the season.

Notre Dame injury notes

Notre Dame is also missing a couple of contributors for the game, notably defensive tackle Kurt Hinish. Hinish was in the concussion protocol earlier in the week. He has played in 53 games and started 28 consecutive contests in his career with the Fighting Irish. Hinish has five tackles and one sack this season, and he received the game ball last week in Notre Dame’s victory over Purdue.

Defensive end Jordan Botelho returned last week in limited fashion, and he is likely to see a larger role on Notre Dame’s defensive front against Wisconsin. Notre Dame will also get back true freshman and former five-star linebacker Prince Kollie.

The Irish must effectively replace Hinish on the defensive front. Notre Dame held Purdue to 57 rushing yards last week, but Wisconsin ran all over Eastern Michigan in its last game with 352 yards and four touchdowns on 55 carries.

Irish left tackle Mike Carmody is also dealing with an injury and came into the day as questionable.

Wisconsin and Notre Dame will both be wearing special uniforms on Saturday. The Badgers’ all-white “Forward” uniform honors the state of Wisconsin and pays tribute to Wisconsin’s state motto.

Wisconsin is a 6.5 point favorite on Saturday over Notre Dame.