3 Potential Surprise Difference Makers for Wisconsin Football Against Notre Dame

Colton Joseph. Abu Sama. Mason Posa. Cooper Catalano.

Badgers fans are well aware of the team's best players, the impact players that will write the headlines and have an outsized impact on the result of the game.

But who could emerge as a surprise difference maker for Wisconsin on Sunday night at Lambeau Field? Badgers On SI takes a look below.

OL Stylz Blackmon

We're still not entirely sure if either Emerson Mandell or Kevin Heywood, Wisconsin's starting right guard and tackle, respectively, are going to be available against the Irish. That would obviously be a huge loss for the Badgers, but if they're down a starting guard, I expect Blackmon to play a key role.

The Division II transfer began to assert himself over Arkansas transfer Blake Cherry at right guard towards the latter half of fall camp, and he's drawn a lot of praise from the coaching staff.

“Just a tremendous young man, incredibly high character, very intelligent. Very coachable, wants to be good. And he’s got the skillset, he’s got the ability. He’s got great flexibility and really good feet for a big guy," Grimes said.

The 6-4, 316-pound former Augustana standout has never faced a defensive line quite like Notre Dame. But Wisconsin could rely on him to play a huge role in the opener immediately.

CB Cai Bates

I love what I saw out of Cai Bates in camp. The long, rangy 6-3 cornerback who transferred from Florida State this offseason has tremendous size and speed, and didn't show many weaknesses in the practices I saw. He never got his chance in Tallahassee, but that should change in Madison.

Javan Robinson will start at boundary corner, and it'll be some combination of Eric Fletcher and Jai'mier Scott at the field cornerback spot. But I still expect to see Bates play. He's earned the reps even in a crowded cornerback room, and he drew high praise from cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples at the end of fall camp.

“When you think spring ball to fall camp, I think the biggest jump is probably Cai Bates. He’s playing to his size, he’s playing big corner football. I really liked seeing that from him," he said.

WR Kash Brock

Why not Brock? We think we have an idea of who the top receivers for the Badgers will be, but will they manage to separate from Notre Dame's elite secondary? I foresee plenty of receivers getting an opportunity against the Irish, especially if Wisconsin struggles to create separation from Notre Dame defensive backs early on.

“He’s a tremendous young man. He’s bright-eyed, he’s intelligent, he’s competitive, he’s vocal. I think he’s got natural leadership capacity, especially once he gets older. Already as a freshman, he’s one of the more vocal guys in the huddle in that second or third group. He’s a willing blocker, he’s got toughness, and he’s gonna be a guy that’s gonna play some role this year. How much that is is yet to be determined, but really impressed with his overall game and skillset," Grimes said of Brock.

The fact that Brock has the requisite toughness and ability to block on the perimeter is also huge in earning him snaps early in his career. It'll be fascinating to see if Wisconsin's coaching staff trusts him to hold his own against one of the best secondaries in the nation in his first career game.

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