Indiana HC Curt Cignetti drops it after a late hit on Riley Leonard

Friday night has not gone according to plan for head coach Curt Cignetti and Indiana football. The Hoosiers were outclassed in all three phases of the game in South Bend as Notre Dame clinched a spot in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve with a 27-17 victory at home.

During the game’s third quarter, Indiana continued to make mistake after mistake as it continued to give Notre Dame life offensively. With the Fighting Irish driving down the field but facing a third-and-long, the Hoosiers finally got a stop on what appeared to be a sack. However, an Indiana pass rusher hit Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard out of bounds, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. After the play was Cigetti by losing one’s mind on the sidelines.

That penalty led to more points for the Fighting Irish, and it wasn’t the first or last thing that got on Cignetti’s nerves in this one. Not much went right for Indiana in this one in any phase of the game, leading to something of a dud of a first playoff game.

Notre Dame’s offensive and defensive lines dominated this game from start to finish as Indiana was never able to consistently run the ball or protect quarterback Kurtis Rourke. On top of that, Notre Dame’s elite secondary played a ton of man coverage and dared Indiana’s receivers to beat it in one-on-one coverage, something the Hoosiers were unable to do.

Notre Dame didn’t have an explosive night offensively, but it imposed its will all night on Indiana’s defensive front and was able to control the clock. They got a big play, a 98-yard touchdown run by Jeremiah Love, to open the scoring in the first quarter.

This was still a very successful season for Indiana, who finished things 11-2 in Cignetti’s first season as head coach. With its track record dating back to its time at James Madison, all indications are that Indiana is here to stay as a contender in the Big Ten for years to come.