Notre Dame had one of the worst losses in this college football season. Way back in early September, the Fighting Irish lost at home to the Northern Illinois Huskies. While it was a rough loss, they have not lost a game since. Behind a strong run game and suffocating defense, they earned the seventh seed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. They hosted one of the surprises of the college football season, the Indiana Hoosiers. Many fans did not think the Hoosiers deserved a spot since their strength of schedule was terrible. They could have silenced the doubters on Friday night. However, Notre Dame dominated from start to finish in a 27-17 victory.
Notre Dame Controls The Game Versus Indiana
There was some chaos at the start of the game. After the Hoosiers punted, Notre Dame threw an interception, giving Indiana great field position and a chance to get the game’s first points. Four plays later, quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw an interception to give it right back. On the very next play, Jeremiyah Love ran for a 98-yard touchdown. The Fighting Irish never looked back. It wasn’t a complete drubbing, but their defense put the clamps on Curt Cignetti’s squad.
Notre Dame extended their lead on the next drive with a 16-play, 83-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback Riley Leonard threw a five-yard pass to Jayden Thomas to put them up 14-0. The Hoosiers moved the ball on the next two drives fairly well but stalled out and were only able to come up with a field goal. It was 17-3 at the half, and it only got worse from there.
Extending The Lead
Until there was 5:44 left in the fourth quarter, the Indiana offense only gained seven yards in the second half. The final score of 27-17 doesn’t show how dominant Notre Dame was. The Hoosiers woke up in the final six minutes, scoring a touchdown and a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 16. They recovered an onside kick and then scored another touchdown to only be down ten. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. There was not enough time to continue the comeback.
Leonard had a solid game, completing 23 of 32 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. He added 30 yards and another score on the ground. His favorite target was Jordan Faison, who caught seven passes for 89 yards. Indiana’s run game was shut down for most of the night. Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton combined for only 71 rushing yards on 21 carries. Part of this was they were playing from behind and had to lean more on Rourke.
Should The Hoosiers Have Been In?
Social media was abuzz on Friday night as many college football fans were quick to bring up the strength of schedule argument. Much had been made about the Big Ten schedule Indiana had to play, with their only loss being to Ohio State. Many thought Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, or Miami would have made the game more competitive. However, blowouts are not uncommon in the College Football Playoff. Here are a few of the notable shellackings in college football postseason history.
- 2016: Alabama 38 Michigan St. 0
- 2017: Clemson 31 Ohio St. 0
- 2020: LSU 63 Oklahoma 28
- 2022: Alabama 27 Cincinnati 6
- 2023: Georgia 65 TCU 7
The list of blowouts is long. This is just a taste. I don’t know if the Hoosiers should have been in. However, acting like only undeserving teams get blown out is foolish. On two occasions, a playoff team scored ZERO points. Things happen in sports. Teams come in motivated and locked in, and others don’t. Notre Dame looked ready to make a run to the national championship and were the better team all around on Friday night.
Final Thoughts
The Fighting Irish will play the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals. Reports indicate Carson Beck will be out for the game, but Kirby Smart was able to win against Texas with his backup team in the SEC Championship. For Indiana, the challenge now is to show they can sustain their success. Next year, they have games on the road against Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State. Home games against Illinois and Wisconsin will not be gimmes either. If Cignetti can put together another College Football Playoff run next year, it will go a long way in silencing the doubters. Notre Dame took care of business in front of their home crowd and will continue to strive for the national championship.
