Notre Dame dominates Indiana in College Football Playoff opener

CNN
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Notre Dame secured a decisive victory over Indiana, defeating the Hoosiers 27-17 in the opening game of the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff on Friday night in South Bend, Indiana.

The game, back-to-back for the first time since 1991, started Friday night after the South Bend area received about two inches snow earlier in the day, sets up a chilly affair.

The game started on a chaotic note, with both teams throwing interceptions on their opening drives. Fighting Irish no. However, 7 quickly regained their footing and took control with a record-setting play early in the first quarter.

Pinned down at their own two-yard line, sophomore running back Jeremiah Love ignited the Notre Dame Stadium crowd with an electric 98-yard touchdown run. Lawen took the pass in the end zone and broke through the left side and sprinted past the secondary, giving Notre Dame a 7-0 lead and setting the tone early.

The spectacular run was the longest in College Football Playoff history and tied the record for the longest total run in school history.

Love finished the game with eight carries, 108 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Notre Dame’s dominance continued into the second quarter. Irish quarterback Riley Leonard orchestrated a 16-play drive that ran over nine minutes off the clock, culminating in a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jayden Thomas. The touchdown extended the Fighting Irish’s lead to 14-0.

No. 10 seed Indiana’s offense struggled to find a rhythm throughout the first half, though the Hoosiers managed to salvage a 34-yard field goal late in the second quarter.

Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter made a 49-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half to give the Irish a 17-3 halftime lead.

“We’re going to have to get the passing game going and get the offense going,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said at halftime. “We’re missing too many tackles on defense. I give Notre Dame credit, they take it to us and they don’t get the ball until the second half. So we’ve got to turn this around.”

Indiana was in uncharted territory against the tough ND defense.

According to the ESPN broadcast, Indiana trailed Notre Dame for a total of 22 minutes, 27 seconds in the first half. That nearly matched the amount of time the Hoosiers trailed in the first two quarters of the team’s previous 12 games combined (22:41).

Notre Dame extended its lead on a Jeter 33-yard field goal to go up 20-3 as the Fighting Irish continued to pull away.

Leonard made history while punctuating the win as the 1-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter was his 15th of the season, tying the Notre Dame single-season rushing record.

Leonard, who transferred from Duke prior to the season, called it “crazy” to win a playoff game in front of home fans.

“It’s such a special place,” Leonard said. “There’s no place like Notre Dame. That’s why you come here. That’s why I came here to compete. The College Football Playoff is such a blessing. I owe it all to these guys. Our defense proved another time. Everyone around me just compliments my game day in and day out.”

The Irish signal caller threw for 201 yards and a passing touchdown to go with 30 yards gained on the ground and the short TD score.

“Look, obviously it’s a great honor to be a part of what’s to come, and I don’t want to downplay that, but tonight is about tonight and what this team did to get the result that we all wanted,” Freeman said after a game in which Notre Dame controlled throughout.

“I want them to celebrate. I want them not to look past tonight, celebrate tonight, celebrate this victory that hey have worked tremendously hard to achieve and achieve.

“And then I told them that they have tomorrow off. They can take a day off and we get them back on Sunday. Then we start thinking about the sugar bowl and the opportunity at hand. You don’t get enough time in life and enough time in situations like this to not enjoy it.”

Indiana scored its first touchdown of the night when Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke connected with Myles Price for a seven-yard score with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers successfully completed the two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 27-11.

A second touchdown with 25 seconds left in the game brought a moment of intrigue to the game, but Indiana failed on the two-point conversion to officially put them out of the game.

“All good things come to an end. And when you’re my age, you’ve seen it all,” Cignetti said after the game. “I’ve got a lot of guys hurting in there, but part of life is learning to deal with disappointment in the right way and come back a stronger person because of the experience. You never get everything you want in life. Such is life.

“But that doesn’t diminish what these guys have accomplished, certainly this season, as anyone in this room can describe what this team has accomplished. A lot of firsts.”

With the win, Notre Dame earned their first win in the College Football Playoff in their third appearance after losing in the semifinals in 2018 and 2020.

Notre Dame advances to play No. 2 seed Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.