Meet the Opponent: Indiana Faces Notre Dame’s Strong Run Game, Defense in Playoff

In the first round of the College Football Playoff, Indiana travels to Notre Dame, which allows the nation’s third-fewest points per game and ranks 10th in rushing.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and players celebrate after defeating USC. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana learned its postseason fate Sunday afternoon, and it’s an in-state matchup that has been dormant for more than three decades.

The No. 10 seed Hoosiers will travel to South Bend, Ind., to face No. 7 seed Notre Dame at 8 ET. on Dec. 20 at Notre Dame Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN. The winner will advance to face No. 2 seed Georgia on Jan. 1 at 8:45 p.m. ET in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. on ESPN.

Indiana enters the playoffs with an 11-1 overall record and an 8-1 run in Big Ten play in its first season under coach Curt Cignetti, the most wins in program history. The Hoosiers lead the FBS in average scoring margin at 28.7 and rank second nationally in total defense (244.8).

Notre Dame is enjoying its best season in three years under coach Marcus Freeman. He has a 30-9 record with two bowl wins at Notre Dame following four seasons as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator. Freeman, 38, played linebacker at Ohio State from 2004-08.

“Obviously a very good football team,” Cignetti said. “They've won ten in a row. Coach Freeman has done a tremendous job with that football team. I've looked at their stats, haven't had a chance to watch them today with all the media stuff going on, but I saw enough of them against Purdue to know that they're an excellent football team. And when you look at their scores, they haven't played in very many close games. So I'm sure they'll be quite the challenge, but we're looking forward to it. We're a good football team.”

The Fighting Irish are 11-1 and have won 10 straight games since a 16-14 upset loss at home to Northern Illinois. They have been ranked in the AP Top 25 poll all season, peaking at No. 3 in Sunday’s poll, ranking in the top 10 for seven weeks and never falling below No. 18.

Here’s a look at Notre Dame’s 2024 schedule, with rankings at the time of the game.

• W, 23-13 at No. 20 Texas A&M 
• L, 16-14 vs. Northern Illinois
• W, 66-7 at Purdue
• W, 28-3 vs. Miami of Ohio
• W, 31-24 vs. No. 15 Louisville
• W, 49-7 vs. Stanford
• W, 31-13 vs. Georgia Tech (neutral site in Atlanta)
• W, 51-14 vs. No. 24 Navy (neutral site in New Jersey)
• W, 52-3 vs. Florida State
• W, 35-14 vs. Virginia
• W, 49-14 vs. No. 18 Army (neutral site in New York)
• W, 49-35 at USC

Notre Dame is led by quarterback Riley Leonard, who joined the Fighting Irish before the 2024 season after three seasons at Duke. He has completed 194-of-293 (66.2%) passes for 2,092 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. At 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds, he’s a serious threat to run the ball, generating 721 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 124 attempts, good for 5.8 yards per carry.

“He's a great player,” Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher said of Leonard. “Really good O-line, really good backs. Quarterback is really good, receivers are solid, tight ends are really good too. Definitely got a challenge coming up, but when you look back at the teams we've played, we've seen a lot of pocket passers, we've seen those mobile guys as well. We've just got to take into account we've got to be ready for option plays, designed quarterback run, stuff like that, just making sure we're not falling asleep if he pulls the ball.”

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (13) runs past the Stanford defense for a touchdown at Notre Dame Stadium. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He isn’t the only one Indiana will have to contain on the ground. Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love leads the Irish with 134 carries, 949 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, with an average of 7.1 yards per carry. 

Notre Dame has another productive runner in junior Jadarian Price, who has 89 carries for 651 yards and seven touchdowns this year, good for 7.3 yards per carry. They’re coached by Deland McCullough, who was the associate head coach and running backs coach at Indiana in 2021 under former head coach Tom Allen.

Leonard does not have a go-to receiver, per se. Clemson transfer Beaux Collins, a 6-foot-3 receiver, leads the Irish with 34 receptions for 427 yards and two touchdowns. The team’s 19 receiving touchdowns are spread across 12 players, eight of which have at least 16 receptions. Notre Dame annually has productive tight ends in both the pass and run games, and this year that’s Mitchell Evans with 29 receptions for 272 yards and a team-high three receiving touchdowns.

Offensively, Notre Dame ranks third nationally in scoring (39.8), 95th in total offense (421.3), 91st in passing (196.4) and 10th in rushing (224.8). 

Defensively, the Irish rank eighth in scoring (13.6), eight in total defense (296.8), third in passing (157.9) and. 51st in rushing (138.8). They’re led in tackling by a pair of linebackers in Jack Kiser and Drayk Bowen, with 64 and 54, respectively. Sixteen players have accounted for at least an assisted sack, led by defensive linemen Rylie Mills with 6.5 and Howard Cross III with four. 

Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills (99) and linebacker Jack Kiser (24) celebrate a sack against Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Senior safety Xavier Watts is seen as a potential All-American, and he leads the team with six interceptions, followed by sophomore safety Adon Shuler with three. Cornerback Leonard Moore and Christian Gray match Watts with eight passes defended apiece. 

Notre Dame leads the all-time series 21-5-1 and has won the last six matchups. Most recently, the Irish defeated Indiana 49-27 in South Bend on Sept. 7, 1991. Indiana’s last win over Notre Dame was also the latest game in Bloomington, a 20-7 victory for the Hoosiers on Oct. 21, 1950. Indiana’s other four wins came between 1906 and 1898. In 2021, the schools announced an agreement to play on Aug. 31, 2030, in South Bend and on Sept. 27, 2031, in Bloomington.

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