Todd’s Take: Notre Dame Made The Hoosiers We Watched All Season Disappear

The Hoosiers that took the field in the 27-17 College Football Playoff loss looked nothing like the Indiana team everyone saw all season. Notre Dame deserves the credit for it.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Joshua Burnham (40) and teammates tackle Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Myles Price (4) during the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – If there is one word to describe the experience of watching Indiana fall to Notre Dame 27-17 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, that word is jarring.

The team I’ve watched all season? They were on the field in body, it would be harsh to say they weren’t there in spirit, because I’m sure they were, but they weren’t there in the performance we’ve been accustomed to.

It was weird. Indiana was so metronomic in its 11-1 season. Ohio State made them look mortal, but no one else did. Indiana’s excellence was full and it was relentless – until Friday night at Notre Dame Stadium where the Hoosiers we all knew were nowhere to be found.

A trip through the box score reveals so many uncharacteristic performances from the Hoosiers – both from individuals and collectively as a team. You can expect a player or two to be off-form from one game to the next, but this was a complete disappearing act of the traits that defined the Hoosiers all season long.

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was the most efficient quarterback statistically in the nation entering the game, but he was ineffective against the Fighting Irish. His final stat line isn’t horrible: 20 of 33 for 215 yards, but 130 of those passing yards were in the fourth quarter when Notre Dame had a commanding lead.

Indiana’s running game was held to 2.3 yards per carry.

Indiana’s receivers were very good at getting separation during the season, but there was very little room for them against the Notre Dame secondary. And when there was, Rourke wasn’t very accurate throwing the ball downfield.

Indiana’s run defense was the best in the nation by a wide margin at 70.8 yards per game conceded, but the Fighting Irish hit them for a 98-yard run in the first quarter and Notre Dame went on to rush for 193 yards – 56 yards more than any other team gained against the Hoosiers in 2024.

Indiana came into the game ranked 8th in third down defense at 31%, but Notre Dame hammered the Hoosiers on third down, especially in the first half. Notre Dame converted 7 of 13 third downs overall, but were 5 of 7 in the first half when the Fighting Irish built the lead they would never concede.

That nasty pass rush that Indiana punished opponents with throughout the season? Largely absent. Indiana did get two sacks, but Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard finally proved to be their kryptonite. He ran away from Indiana pass rushers, something rarely seen this season.

Indiana wasn’t good in its punt game, not good considering the Hoosiers punted six times (for 33.7 yards per punt). The only player who looked like himself was kicker Nicolas Radicic – and that’s damning with faint praise because he looked good on two desperation onside kicks late in the game when the Hoosiers needed a miracle.

It wasn’t just the players. Uncharacteristic decisions came from the sideline too. No more so than when Indiana elected to punt with 10:45 left in the game from the Notre Dame 47. The Hoosiers were down 17, but there was nothing to lose in going for it. Notre Dame ended up scoring a touchdown after the punt anyway. For a team that was aggressive all season, this was a jarring decision.

When so many things are unrecognizable from a team that had defined itself as a poised, aggressive, high-execution machine? There’s only one conclusion to be drawn.

Give the credit to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish grabbed the game by the throat early on and didn’t release their grip until it was too late for Indiana to do anything about it.

“Defensively they pretty much suffocated our offense until the last minute and a half of the game. And their skill guys made good plays. They played well. And they beat us,” Cignetti said.

The physical defensive line pushed Indiana’s offensive line around – especially in the run blocking department. The physical and fast secondary suffocated the pass game until the final two minutes.

Leonard was a dominant force in a way the Hoosiers couldn’t afford him to be. He kept plays alive with his legs (30 yards, but they were stick-moving yards) and even when Indiana contained him, he hurt the Hoosiers with his arm.

Leonard completed 23 of 32 passes for 201 yards. It was a season-high in completions for Leonard and his 72% completion rate was one of his top five best percentages of the season.

“There was a point in the game it appeared we were starting to put some pressure on Riley Leonard, near the end of the first half, we were getting closer and closer,” Cignetti said. “But, again, I give him a lot of credit. He's a really good athlete with a quick release that played a lot of football.”

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman didn’t make a wrong move in the game. The Fighting Irish were just rock solid in every respect.

Notre Dame made the Hoosiers into something we hadn’t seen all season – an ordinary team that was not always sure of itself. The Fighting Irish made the Hoosiers we knew disappear – and the dream of a long College Football Playoff run disappeared with it.

Related stories on Indiana football

• GAME STORY: Notre Dame defeats Indiana 27-17 on Friday to end the Hoosiers' dream season. CLICK HERE.

• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana isn't elite, but it's better than the alternative. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: How the game played out as it happened in the Hoosiers On SI live blog. CLICK HERE.