Notre Dame OL Film vs. Wisconsin: Knapp and Craig Stood Out as Absher Helped Turn the Tide

Landon Tengwall’s film review of Notre Dame’s line against Wisconsin centered on two constants and one clear turning point: Anthonie Knapp and Ashton Craig “were just good the entire day,” and the group looked cleaner once Sullivan Absher entered. Tengwall walked through the tape in order and said the line “gradually” improved, with Knapp and Craig standing out early as the most physical and consistent blockers in both the run game and on combo work.

The breakdown also pointed to where things went wrong. Tengwall repeatedly highlighted issues from Styles Prescod on the backside of runs, saying he was too often leaning, lunging, and failing to get his hat across, which helped explain why Absher saw second-half work. He also criticized Notre Dame’s motioned-in tight end insert blocks, calling them ineffective throughout the game, while praising Will Black for settling in after an early strip-sack rep and noting the run game looked much better once Absher was part of the mix.

• Tengwall called Knapp and Craig “absolute maulers,” praising Craig’s climbs to linebackers and Knapp’s power on doubles and single blocks.
• Prescod drew the sharpest criticism, with Tengwall saying his lack of confidence and repeated backside losses showed up enough to explain the lineup change.
• Will Black’s strip-sack rep was called a one-off technique lapse; Tengwall said the rest of Black’s pass protection looked “super solid.”
• Absher’s entrance was tied to better execution, especially on backside cutoffs and cleaner run fits.
• Tengwall also blasted the holding flag on Knapp’s snatch-and-trap rep, calling it a bad call that killed a drive.