Notre Dame football left Lambeau Field with a 41-13 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers, but the final score tells only part of the story.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish struggled through a first half that saw them clinging to a 13-10 lead at intermission. The second half, however, was a different team entirely, and it produced a performance that should generate real excitement about this squad’s potential going forward.

Here are the winners and losers from Notre Dame’s bipolar performance against Wisconsin.

Winners

S Adon Shuler

Shuler might end up on the winner list each and every week this year, partly because he’s a tremendous football player, but also because he is an even better person. To be 20 years old, dealing with the loss of his father with a funeral next week, and still come out and be arguably the best defensive player on the field is remarkable. Shuler was flying around making big hits and blanketed a tight end in coverage in the end zone early in the game. He was awesome from start to finish and a true testament of what a Notre Dame captain looks like.

The second half performance

Notre Dame did not play well in the first half, but everything changed after intermission. Quarterback CJ Carr got things going through the air. The rushing attack behind running back Aneyas Williams improved dramatically. Running back Nolan James Jr. made some big plays. The defense was stifling, and defensive back DJ McKinney added a pick-six. Everything was clicking in the second half, and it was great to see.

CB Leonard Moore

What is there to say about Moore at this point? His stat sheet will look pretty empty from this game, but that’s because Wisconsin chose not to test him much, despite what Badgers head coach Luke Fickell said during the week. When plays came his way, whether in the run game or the pass game, he made them. Moore is one of the best players in the entire country, and he once again proved that at Lambeau Field.

WR Jordan Faison

Faison led the team with four receptions for 80 yards. He was a consistent element of the offense and created a couple of explosive plays, which Notre Dame needs more and more of. Faison gets labeled as just a short separator, but he showed he can win at multiple levels of the field. His chemistry with Carr was on display all evening.

OG Anthonie Knapp

It was Knapp’s first game at left guard after starting for two years at left tackle. While the rest of the offensive line was underwhelming in the first half, Knapp played a tremendous game. He was dominant in the run game, and the one penalty he was called for was an atrocious call on a snatch trap. Knapp looks at home on the interior and helped pop a few big runs in the second half. I am bullish on how good Knapp could be at left guard for the rest of the season.

K Spencer Porath

Notre Dame has a kicker! Seeing that 52-yard field goal sail through the uprights was a thing of beauty. Porath accounted for 11 points on the night, and was perfect on all of his kicks.

Losers

Fast starts

There has been a lot of talk about starting fast this offseason, especially after a long break, but once again Notre Dame got off to a slow start. The first half was incredibly frustrating. This team is talented, but in the bigger games they need to come out with more energy and make more plays early so they don’t get behind the eight ball.

Notre Dame wide receivers not named Jordan Faison

Micah Gilbert had a couple of nice plays in this contest, but for the most part, the wide receivers outside of Faison were invisible. Jaden Greathouse managed just one reception for six yards. There wasn’t a single target to Matt Jeffery, who has been the talk of the offseason. Mylan Graham didn’t make a huge impact. This wide receiver outing continues to create question marks about just how good that unit can be. The talent is there, but there is no consistent production right now.

Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph

I’m going to let things play out a little bit, but I’ve been on the record since the beginning. When the Styles Prescod move to guard started, I didn’t think that made much sense. A player who has always struggled to generate power moving inside doesn’t add up.

Once Matty Augustine went down for several weeks with a foot injury, it should have been almost a no-brainer to put Sullivan Absher in at guard. Notre Dame made the switch in the second half and the offensive line looked a lot better, but that decision brings a lot of questions we’ve heard in the past about Rudolph as an offensive line coach and developer.

There’s no question he’s a great recruiter, but can he put the best five on the field? That still remains to be seen, and questions will continue to be asked.