Badgers' Line Crisis Ahead of Notre Dame | Wisconsin Badgers Football News

Wisconsin’s season opener against top-five Notre Dame looms as a make-or-break moment, with key offensive linemen Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell sidelined—Heywood with a leg injury, Mandell recovering from foot surgery. Both missed fall camp, forcing backups like Stylz Blackmon and Blake Cherry into the starting lineup against a powerhouse defense. Coach Luke Fickell is holding them back to avoid further injury, but playing them at less than 100% against Notre Dame could risk the season. The decision now is high-stakes: prioritize long-term health or gamble on underprepared players in a critical game that could define Wisconsin’s entire campaign. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/b137ba904c92bdee