Notre Dame's Defense Dominates as Garbage Time Points Prove Irrelevant

The Irish defense dominated Indiana in the CFP, proving garbage time points couldn’t overshadow a stellar performance.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrate a touchdown during the first half of a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. Notre Dame defeated Indiana 27-17. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame's defense shines in victory, again

Notre Dame's defense, the heartbeat of the Irish program for many years now, put on another terrific display of dominant football against the Hoosiers in Notre Dame Stadium Friday night.

The Irish allowed the Hoosiers just 63 yards rushing on the evening for a meager average of just 2.3 YPC.

Regarding the Hoosiers passing attack, Irish leader and uber-athlete Xavier Watts set the tone early with a critical first-quarter interception with Indiana looking to take an early lead on the Irish after an interception of its own.

On the night, Indiana threw for 215 yards but was largely kept in check by the aggressive and physical Irish defense.

Throwing near Xavier Watts is a mistake

pic.twitter.com/UGlfPkABPf

— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 21, 2024

Irish will look to clean up late-game performance that allowed Indiana to make final score respectable

I'm certain that the Irish coaches will address the ugly late-game sequence that made the final score of this game look closer than it felt in actuality. The Notre Dame defense allowed the Hoosiers just 3 points with the game still in doubt. As for garbage time, though, that was a different story.

The sequence of the two late touchdowns and onside kick recovery by Indiana was not pretty. How much Irish fans want to focus on it and worry about it is up to each individual fan.

The takeaway here shouldn't be what Notre Dame allowed to happen when the outcome was already done. The takeaway should be that Notre Dame was winning a playoff game by enough that there was room to coast.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

Notre Dame vs Indiana First Round CFP Preview: Pressure Matters For The Irish

Notre Dame’s Potential Vulnerabilities in the College Football Playoff

5 Reasons Why Notre Dame Can Win the College Football Playoff

Notre Dame's Freeman & Bevacqua "Maniacal" About Winning A CFP Title