Another high-profile, top-20 matchup awaits No. 18 Wisconsin this weekend in Chicago.

UW (1-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) hopes to capture a signature victory inside Soldier Field before conference play kicks in when it takes on No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, FOX).

BadgerBlitz.com presents five burning questions about the non-conference clash between the two prominent programs.

Wisconsin's precedent of pressure on opposing offenses continued into this season through two games. I feel I've thrown around this stat often in the past two weeks, but Pro Football Focus (PFF) has credited UW with 28 total pressures though only recording two sacks per game in the official stats sheets.

Getting home to Notre Dame's quarterbacks will be instrumental in obtaining a victory on Saturday, and it could also potentially lead to turnovers -- something Wisconsin has not accomplished as successfully so far with just the one interception against Eastern Michigan.

Jim Leonhard said on Monday that he was proud of his defensive players who have "played extremely hard," in his words when asked about how he felt his unit has performed and where it can get better. UW's defensive coordinator also called out the unit for containing opponents' points on the scoreboard and how they performed on third down. For the latter point, that stems with how everything starts on the first two downs as well, according to the assistant.

However, Leonhard mentioned those opportunities to produce sudden change through takeaways.

"The thing that we've always just stressed because it's a weekly thing is turnovers, right?" Leonhard said. "Finding ways in big moments to create turnovers, whether it's third down or red zone, doesn't really matter. You know you're going to get in big moments of the game, and that's the difference.

"Take a look at Penn State and ours. We both played dominant on defense. They created a couple turnovers, and we weren't able to. That's the emphasis, and they don't carry over from week-to-week. So every single week, you got to go out there and find ways to take the ball away from the opponent, and the bigger the moment, the better it is to get those turnovers."

Notre Dame has allowed at least four sacks in each of its first three games. Can Wisconsin create enough havoc in the backfield to force errant throws or fumbles that could change the trajectory of the contest?

Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst noted the fact that Jack Coan facing the program he once played for is a storyline, but he reiterated on Monday that the game is "Wisconsin versus Notre Dame." That said, this will be something to watch.

Coan has completed 62.6% of his throws for 828 yards and eight touchdowns to two interceptions through three games. That success comes in working with a line still working to find its footing in stopping opponents' pressure, as noted above.

BadgerBlitz.com detailed earlier this week what quarterback Chase Wolf and safety Scott Nelson saw from their former teammate.

“He's always been a very confident quarterback," Nelson said on Monday. "He's very knowledgeable. His ability to pick up their scheme didn't surprise me, because I know how smart he is. So I wasn't very surprised when we talked to him, and he said, 'Yeah, like I'm doing pretty good.' I know he would downplay it.

“He's throwing the deep ball very well, and he's just very confident. You can tell he's confident. He's a tough guy. You’ve seen that the past few games, and he's gonna do whatever it takes for his team to win.”

Inside linebacker Jack Sanborn admitted on Monday that it was "weird watching film" and "seeing, studying Coan," according to the senior, but that they knew this would be forthcoming.

"You know, Coan's a competitor," Sanborn said. "We're all competitors here, and there's respect, but at the same time, I think both sides want to go out and win this game and that's what means the most.

"You know, it should be a fun one. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure Coan is, but at the same time, I think I speak for all of us that we want to win this game."

Piggybacking off of that, Wisconsin faced a stiff test against Penn State's new-look aerial attack in Week 1, and outside of three very big plays in the second half, it held its own for the most part. UW locked down Eastern Michigan overall to under 100 total yards seven days later in a dominant display, but what will transpire against a Notre Dame passing attack that averages over 300 yards per contest in its trio of wins?

Tight end Mitchell Mayer leads the team with 17 receptions for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

"He's a very talented player," Nelson said about Mayer on Monday. "He's really good once he gets the ball in his hand, and he's really elusive. He's not a super fast guy, but he's great at making short jukes and just breaking tackles.

"It's kind of deceiving when you watch it, because he's not like a super fast burner, but he breaks a ton of tackles. So got to do a great job getting to his body and trying to get him down as best we can."

Wisconsin will need to contain not just Mayer but several other Notre Dame receiving targets. Running back Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree have already combined for 21 catches for 258 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receivers Avery Davis and Kevin Austin Jr. have reeled in eight receptions each. Both Davis and Austin have scored once each through the air while averaging 18.6 and 19.3 yards per catch, respectively.

Notre Dame likes "throwing the ball deeper," according to Nelson.

"They like taking shots, and that's just their offense," Nelson said. "It's been their offense for years now. So that's no surprise. We should expect that and understand that we have to step up to the challenge and be able to make those plays."

Wisconsin's ground game has accumulated 266 yards per game (more on that below), but how the passing game responds when called upon Saturday will be an area to monitor.

Quarterback Graham Mertz looked better against Eastern Michigan two weeks ago after a rough performance against a now top-10 Nittany Lions’ program, completing 14-of-17 passes for 141 yards in the Sept. 11 win. However, while the aerial attack provided some spurts with nicely timed routes, the ground game vastly overwhelmed the MAC program.

Now Mertz -- along with receiving targets Danny Davis, Kendric Pryor, Jake Ferguson and Chimere Dike, among others -- will hope to show strides in the passing attack against a Notre Dame unit that has given up 232.7 yards per game through the air but has generated five interceptions already. That includes three from All-American safety Kyle Hamilton.

"The big thing is they're just a really talented group," Mertz said about the Fighting Irish defense on Monday. "They do a lot of different things, and it's just a fun group to watch because you get a bunch, a mix of different things so we'll be ready. It'll be good."

A popular storyline may arise this week of not just Coan against Wisconsin, but how the two quarterbacks' respective performances match up against one another -- though I personally believe valuing just one contest is a wholly unjustified referendum on the signal callers.

Sanborn believes Mertz "is staying focused" with all the off-the-field commotion of questions about Coan taking on his former program.

"I don't think he's getting caught up in all the noise, and I don't think he has really ever here," Sanborn said. “I think he just understands what's most important, and that’s getting ready for this game, to be able to play the best ball that we all can.

"I think he's locked in, focused. He’s got a good mindset, understanding of what the job is.”

Wisconsin's strength lies on defense, particularly against the run where it has only allowed 33 yards per game in its two contests. Notre Dame averages just over 105 rushing yards per outing so far, but it has gained just 2.9 yards per carry.

The Badgers should have the advantage here, but they will have to account for both Williams and Tyree out of the backfield. The former has run for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry, and Sanborn complimented the Irish back earlier this week.

"They're gonna want to run the ball," Sanborn said. "They want to set the tone and run the ball. 23 [Williams], their running back, is one of the best running backs we're going to see all year. You know, he's a great player, and obviously Notre Dame, they always have a good offensive line. It's going to be a challenge. It's going to be tough, but I think everyone's excited for it."

On the flip side, the Notre Dame defense allowed 264 yards to Florida State in their season-opener but improved against Toledo and Purdue (124 and 57, respectively). However, the Fighting Irish allowed runs of 67 and 26 yards against the Rockets in Week 2. They also have not seen a line like the Badgers possess, albeit one where we have seen different combinations of linemen at times from position coach Joe Rudolph.

Marcus Freeman's defense will need to account for three Wisconsin running backs in Chez Mellusi -- who already boasts two 100-yard performances this season -- Jalen Berger and Isaac Guerendo.