“Notre Dame is Chicago’s College Football Team.” (Houston Griffith, 9/18/2021)

The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football team returns to Chicago to play at Soldier Field this Saturday, taking on the Wisconsin Badgers. The last time Notre Dame played at Soldier Field, was October 6, 2012, vs The Miami Hurricanes, who the IRISH defeated 41-3.

Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish come into Chicago 3-0, having won 3 close games vs. Florida State, Toledo, and Purdue.

At Tuesday’s player press conference, the players were asked what they expected from the game on Saturday.

Houston Griffith told us that this game will be the most well-attended game so far by his family and friends during his time as a member of the Fighting Irish. Houston, a Chicago native, said it will be fun playing in front of family and friends. He believes that it will be a sold-out stadium and knows how Chicago gets when Notre Dame comes to town. Houston said it will be exciting and he knows we travel well, in terms of the Notre Dame fan base. Griffith is excited for the game, and just can’t wait to get out there with his teammates.

Chris Tyree mentioned how he had never been to Solider Field before, and he’s not really sure what to expect, but knows it’s a big game. In terms of playing in an NFL stadium, and being out there on the field, Chris recalled how the team played at Heinz Field, the home of both the Pitt Panthers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He said playing at Soldier Field will be fun, but he’s not expecting it to be that much of a difference between stadiums. Tyree said that the team knows they have a job to do.

The University of Notre Dame (3-0) and The University of Wisconsin (1-1) kick off this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. on Fox. Both Fox Sports Big Noon Kick-Off and ESPN College Game Day will be in Chicago and will broadcast live before the game. It is sure to be a great environment, and one in which we will cheer the IRISH Onward to Victory!