College football history was made in Indiana on Friday by two teams who, despite being separated by less than 200 miles, have a sparse history together.
In the first-ever game of the 12-team College Football Playoff, and the first playoff matchup ever held in an on-campus stadium, No. 7 seed Notre Dame largely had its way with No. 10 seed Indiana in a 27-17 victory at Notre Dame Stadium.
With the victory, the Fighting Irish advance to the quarterfinals of the playoff, where they’ll face off against No. 2 seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Once there, coach Marcus Freeman and his team will continue their pursuit of the program’s first national championship since 1988.
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Notre Dame was carried offensively by Riley Leonard, who completed 23 of his 32 passes for 201 yards, a touchdown and an interception while adding 30 yards and a touchdown on the ground. His 1-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, which extended the Irish’s lead to 27-3 with 4:50 remaining, was his 15th of the season, setting a Notre Dame single-season record for a quarterback.
Jeremiyah Love added 108 rushing yards, 98 of which came on a first-quarter touchdown run that marked the first points of the game. It was the second-longest run in FBS postseason history, though Love was limited by an injury much of the rest of the night and finished with only eight carries. It was one of several injuries the Irish dealt with Friday, as Rylie Mills, Rocco Spindler and Bryce Young also had to be tended to at various points in the game.
Defensively, Notre Dame largely overwhelmed an Indiana team that came into the matchup second among all FBS teams in scoring offense, at 43.3 points per game. The Irish held the Hoosiers to 152 yards on their first nine drives before Indiana tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the final 90 seconds to make the final score look more presentable.
Despite the loss, Indiana achieved historic levels of success under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, winning a program-record 11 games. The Hoosiers, however, are still looking for their first win in a postseason game since 1991.
Watch Notre Dame-Indiana live with Fubo (free trial)
Here’s a look at the score, updates and highlights from Notre Dame’s first-round College Football Playoff victory against Indiana:
Notre Dame vs Indiana score updates
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Notre Dame football vs Indiana updates
Final: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17
Indiana gets another TD, but failed 2-point conversion seals loss
The Hoosiers make the most of the onside kick recovery, going 50 yards in just 59 seconds for a touchdown to get them within 10, 27-17, with 25 seconds left on a Kurtis Rourke touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. On the 2-point conversion, though, Rourke’s pass is broken up, keeping it a two-score game and icing the victory for Notre Dame, which recovered the onside kick.
Indiana adds late TD
It’s too little, too late for Indiana, but the Hoosiers are able to get their first and almost certainly only touchdown of the night on a Myles Price 7-yard touchdown catch from Kurtis Rourke. Indiana adds on a successful 2-point conversion, with Elijah Surratt catching a pass from Rourke to make it a two-score game.
It’s 27-11 Notre Dame with 1:27 remaining, with Indiana recovering the onside kick.
Riley Leonard rushing TD breaks Notre Dame record
If there were any doubt Notre Dame was going to pull off the victory and advance to the quarterfinals, the Irish just erased it.
Notre Dame goes 78 yards in nine plays, keyed by a 44-yard pass from Riley Leonard to Jordan Faison that got the Irish to the Indiana 1-yard line. Two plays later, Leonard takes it himself into the end zone for his 15th rushing touchdown of the season, setting a single-season record for a Notre Dame quarterback.
The rout is on, with the Irish leading 27-3 with 4:50 remaining.
Indiana…punts?
With a 20-3 deficit, 10:45 remaining and a fourth-and-11 from the Notre Dame 48-yard line, Indiana oddly opts to punt rather than go for the first down and improve its decreasingly likelihood of pulling out a win.
Curt Cignetti has done a fantastic job in his first year in Bloomington, and earned basically every national coach of the year award, but that’s a baffling decision.
The Irish takes over at their own 22-yard line.
Mitch Jeter FG blocked by Indiana
Notre Dame had a chance to go up 20 points with another sustained drive — this one going 50 yards in 11 plays — but a Mitch Jeter 37-yard field goal attempt doesn’t get the needed loft. Indiana’s James Carpenter takes advantage of the line drive, swatting it down and teammate Jailin Walker scooping it up.
Indiana will take over from its own 40-yard line, with a 17-point deficit and 12:12 remaining.
End of third quarter: Notre Dame 20, Indiana 3
Indiana punts — again
The nation’s No. 2 scoring offense continues to underwhelm against the Notre Dame defense. Indiana goes three-and-out, with Kurtis Rourke unable to connect with a wide-open Miles Cross for what would have been at least a 15-yard gain. The Hoosiers’ quarterback, who received two first-place Heisman Trophy votes, has looked off all night, completing only seven of his 15 passes.
Notre Dame fair catches the Indiana punt at its own 31-yard line, where it will take over with 2:48 left in the quarter.
Notre Dame FG extends lead to three scores
A seldom-boring Notre Dame drive ends with three points, with Mitch Jeter connecting on a 33-yard field goal to extend the Irish’s lead to 20-3 with 4:21 remaining.
How Notre Dame got there was a different story entirely. The Irish went just 28 yards in 11 plays. What looked like a third-down stop for Indiana that would have forced a 42-yard Notre Dame field goal was negated by a somewhat questionable late-hit penalty on Indiana’s James Carpenter, who shoved Riley Leonard close to the sideline on a scramble, but while the quarterback was still in bounds. Then, the Irish lined up for a 28-yard field goal in an unusual-looking formation, ran a fake and were stopped a couple of yards short of the first down — but Indiana coach Curt Cignetti called a timeout before the snap.
After a false start penalty, Jeter makes his second field goal of the day.
Indiana punts, Rylie Mills injured
The Notre Dame defense comes out aggressive to start the second half, sacking Kurtis Rourke twice and forcing Indiana into a punt after the Hoosiers’ biggest gain came on a 5-yard offside penalty on the Irish, who will take over at the Indiana 43-yard line after a 9-yard punt return.
There was one troublesome occurrence on the drive, though: Notre Dame star defensive lineman Rylie Mills left the game with an injury after clutching his right knee on the first sack of Rourke.
Notre Dame gets prime field position with opening kickoff
Notre Dame has largely physically outmanned Indiana tonight, but coach Marcus Freeman’s team has some trickery in its toolbox, too.
Jayden Harrison receives Indiana’s opening kickoff, begins to run with it and pitches a reverse to teammate Jordan Faison, which catches the Hoosiers off guard and nearly allows Faison to bring it all the way back for a touchdown before he gets tripped up at the Indiana 47-yard line.
The play only ends up mattering so much, though, as the Irish go three-and-out and punts, with the Hoosiers taking over at their own 12.
Notre Dame vs Indiana stats
Here’s a look at where things stand statistically at halftime between Notre Dame and Indiana, with the Irish holding a 17-3 lead:
- Total yards: Notre Dame 242, Indiana 138
- Passing yards: Notre Dame 87, Indiana 77
- Rushing yards: Notre Dame 155, Indiana 61
- First downs: Notre Dame 11, Indiana 8
- Third downs: Notre Dame 5-7, Indiana 3-7
- Yards per play: Notre Dame 7.1, Indiana 4.6
- Yards per rush: Notre Dame 9.1, Indiana 3.6
- Penalties: Notre Dame 2-15, Indiana 1-10
- Turnovers: Notre Dame 1, Indiana 1
And some individual stats:
Notre Dame
- Riley Leonard: 11-17, 87 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Jeremiyah Love: 4 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD
- Jadarian Price: 6 carries, 26 yards
- Jordan Faison: 3 catches, 26 yards
- Xavier Watts: 7 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 INT
Indiana
- Kurtis Rourke: 6-13, 77 yards, 1 INT
- Ty Son Lawton: 8 carries, 34 yards
- Elijah Surratt: 2 catches, 43 yards
- Aiden Fisher: 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Halftime: Notre Dame 17, Indiana 3
Notre Dame adds FG before half
Kicking has been a dicey proposition for Notre Dame most of this season, with the team collectively making an FBS-worst eight of 18 field goals this season. But Mitch Jeter comes through with a 49-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in the first half.
It finishes off a 12-play, 52-yard drive. Jeter had been just 6 of 12 on field goals this season heading into the playoff.
Indiana runs one play for a 6-yard gain and we’re off to halftime, with the Irish holding a 17-3 lead and, notably, getting the ball to open the second half with a chance to cushion its lead.
Indiana gets on board with FG
Indiana mounts another promising drive, though, unlike the others, this one actually ends with some points. The Hoosiers go 48 yards in nine plays to set up a 34-yard field goal from Nicolas Radicic.
After a Justice Ellison 1-yard run got Indiana to a fourth-and-4, coach Curt Cignetti originally kept his offense on the field before calling a timeout and opting instead to go for the field goal.
Notre Dame leads 14-3 with 3:26 left in the half.
Notre Dame punts
For the first time all night, Notre Dame punts the ball away. A Jeremiyah Love 5-yard loss forces the Irish into a third-and-16 and a Riley Leonard pass to Beaux Collins falls incomplete.
A 37-yard punt gives Indiana the ball at its own 36-yard line with 7:26 remaining in the half.
Indiana punts again
Another Indiana drive, another punt.
The Hoosiers again show some promise, picking up a pair of first downs and getting to the Notre Dame 49-yard line, but the Irish are able to halt that progress and, on a third-and-10, a run play is blown up and dropped for a 1-yard loss. In what’s becoming another trend for Indiana, a short punt goes only 28 yards and is downed at the Notre Dame 22.
Riley Leonard TD pass doubles Notre Dame’s lead
Notre Dame is starting to get a firmer grip on this game. The Irish go 83 yards in 16 plays while chewing 9:08 off the clock, with much of the damage getting done on the ground.
Notre Dame finishes things off through the air, though, with Riley Leonard deftly executing a play-action fake on first-and-goal from the Indiana 3-yard line, faking a handoff before finding an open Jayden Thomas in the end zone for just his second touchdown catch of the season.
Irish with a 14-0 lead with 12:52 remaining and with a 185-69 advantage over Indiana in total yards.
End of first quarter: Notre Dame 7, Indiana 0
The first quarter ends with Notre Dame driving, all the way down to the Indiana 14-yard line, where it has a second-and-8.
Indiana punts again after drive stalls
Indiana has its most promising drive of the day, picking up 38 yards down to the Notre Dame 37-yard line, thanks in large part to a 22-yard run from Ty Son Lawton. From there, though, the Hoosiers’ progress is stalled, with a Kurtis Rourke pass to Elijah Surratt on third-and-8 sailing well over his head and out of bounds.
Another underwhelming Indiana punt goes only 20 yards and is downed at the Notre Dame 17, where the Irish will take over with seven minutes left in the quarter.
Jeremiyah Love takes it to the house for 98-yard TD
Notre Dame is able to immediately capitalize off the Rourke red-zone turnover.
On first down, Jeremiyah Love takes the handoff and plows through a huge hole created by Irish left guard Anthonie Knapp and scampers down the sideline, outrunning the Indiana secondary for a 98-yard touchdown that creates a euphoric and chaotic scene inside Notre Dame Stadium for the first touchdown of the 12-team College Football Playoff.
With the extra point, it’s a 7-0 Notre Dame lead with 10:57 remaining in the first quarter.
It’s the second-longest run in FBS bowl/postseason history, according to David Worlock of the NCAA.
Xavier Watts picks off Kurtis Rourke in the red zone
Indiana squanders a prime scoring opportunity with an interception of its own.
After a huge 28-yard completion to Elijah Surratt on a third-and-14 got his team to the Notre Dame 17-yard line, Kurtis Rouke makes an ill-advised pass in the middle of the field, with Xavier Watts picking it off for the Fighting Irish to give his team the ball at its own 2-yard line.
Riley Leonard interception gives Indiana the ball
While Notre Dame’s first defensive possession went about as well as it could have, its first offensive drive was the opposite.
On a second-and-11, Riley Leonard drops back and tries to hit a receiver, but the pass is deflected by Indiana defensive lineman James Carpenter and is picked off by Indiana defensive back D’Angelo Ponds and returned to the Notre Dame 41-yard line.
It’s just the sixth interception of the season for Leonard, though three of those have come in the past four games.
Indiana goes three-and-out, punts
About as ideal of a start as you could have asked for from the Notre Dame defense, short of a turnover. The Fighting Irish stuff Justice Ellison for a 3-yard loss on the first offensive play of the game and force Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke into back-to-back incompletions to get it to fourth down.
The Hoosiers get off only a 37-yard punt that’s downed at the Notre Dame 41-yard line.
Pregame
Notre Dame wins coin toss
The Fighting Irish win the opening coin toss, but defer, meaning they’ll receive the ball to begin the second half.
We’re almost underway, with Indiana set to receive the opening kickoff.
College GameDay crew makes Notre Dame vs Indiana picks
ESPN’s “College GameDay” panel, broadcasting live inside Notre Dame Stadium made picks for the upcoming game between the Fighting Irish and Indiana.
Here’s a look at who picked who, including celebrity guest-picker Shane Gillis, a Pennsylvania native who grew up a Notre Dame fan:
- Desmond Howard: Notre Dame
- Nick Saban: Notre Dame
- Kirk Herbstreit: Notre Dame
- Pat McAfee: Indiana
- Shane Gillis: Notre Dame
Jeremiyah Love doesn’t join teammates in shirtless warmup
Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love, one of the best players in the country at his position, joined ESPN’s “College GameDay” for an interview while he was warming up on the field at Notre Dame Stadium.
Notably, he was fully clothed, unlike a number of his teammates, who were going through pregame motions without shirts on in sub-30-degree temperatures. Love’s reasoning for not doing so was sound.
“Nah man, they trippin’,” he said. “It’s cold out here.”
Curt Cignetti riles up Notre Dame crowd
ESPN’s “College GameDay” brought on Indiana coach Curt Cignetti for an interview about two hours before kickoff, with the publicly brash Indiana coach seldom missing the opportunity to rile up the thousands of Notre Dame fans gathered behind him.
Cignetti said he has heard the crowd Friday at Notre Dame Stadium could be “20-25 percent” Indiana fans, though if they don’t own red winter jackets, it could be difficult to judge. While that comment drew some boos, his most explosive remark came when addressing what are perceived to be shortcomings on Indiana’s resume, with no wins against teams currently ranked in the top 25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll. Cignetti pointed out that Nebraska was No. 25 in the Coaches Poll when the Hoosiers beat it 56-7 and that his James Madison team beat then-No. 23 Coastal Carolina 47-7 in 2022.
“We don’t just beat top-25 teams,” he said. “We beat the s— out of them.”
Notre Dame vs Indiana weather
Depending on what part of the country you reside, part of the charm of the first round of the College Football Playoff is northern schools getting the opportunity to host games in cold, frigid conditions, a stark contrast to the warm-weather and domed venues that have long been the sites of college football’s biggest games.
Notre Dame and South Bend offer not only one of the most iconic venues in the sport, but the chance for a playoff game to take place in the elements. Though the field has since been cleared, Notre Dame Stadium was blanketed in snow the morning of the game.
Notre Dame uniforms vs Indiana
The Fighting Irish will be wearing their customary home uniform, with gold pants, navy blue jerseys and their iconic gold helmets. Notre Dame occasionally wears green jerseys at home, though that’s usually for select games. Earlier this season, it wore them in a 31-24 victory against Louisville on September 28.
Indiana uniforms vs Notre Dame
Making a surprise appearance in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, Indiana will be wearing its traditional road uniform: red helmets, white jerseys and white pants.
Notre Dame vs Indiana time today
- Date: Friday, Dec. 20
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
Notre Dame and Indiana are scheduled to kick off the first-ever CFP first-round game at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
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What channel is Notre Dame vs Indiana game on today?
The Fighting Irish and Hoosiers’ first-round game will be broadcast nationally on ABC and ESPN. Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a cable login) and Fubo, the latter of which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Notre Dame vs Indiana history
- Series record: Notre Dame leads, 23-5-1
- Notre Dame’s last win: 1991 (49-27)
- Indiana’s last win: 1950 (20-7)
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Notre Dame vs Indiana predictions
Below is how experts across the country are picking the Notre Dame-Indiana game:
Notre Dame vs Indiana betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Dec. 19
- Spread: Notre Dame (-7)
- Over/under: 52.5 points
- Moneylines: Notre Dame (-275) | Indiana (+220)
Notre Dame vs Indiana injury updates
Notre Dame
- DL Howard Cross III — Available
- RB Devyn Ford — Available
- RB Jeremiyah Love — Available
- LB Bodie Kahoun — Out
- WR KK Smith — Out
- LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa — Out
Indiana
- CB Jamier Johnson — Available
Notre Dame vs Indiana weather update
According to hourly weather forecasts of Notre Dame, Indiana, from Weather.com, the temperature will be roughly 29 degrees around kickoff at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. There will be a 15% chance of precipitation, with winds blowing north at 11 mph.
The forecast also calls for snow, snow showers or light snow from 8 p.m. ET on Thursday through 11 a.m. ET on Friday, at which point the weather will range from cloudy to mostly cloudy well into Saturday.
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Notre Dame football 2024 schedule
- Saturday, Aug. 31: at Texas A&M (W, 23-13)
- Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Northern Illinois (L, 16-14)
- Saturday, Sept. 14: at Purdue (W, 66-7)
- Saturday, Sept. 21: vs. Miami (Ohio) (W, 28-3)
- Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. No. 15 Louisville (W, 31-24)
- Saturday, Oct. 5: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. Stanford (W, 49-7)
- Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 31-13)
- Saturday, Oct. 26: vs. No. 24 Navy (W, 51-14)
- Saturday, Nov. 2: BYE
- Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Florida State (W, 52-3)
- Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Virginia (W, 35-14)
- Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. No. 19 Army (W, 49-14)
- Saturday, Nov. 30: at USC (W, 49-35)
- Friday, Dec. 20: vs. No. 10 Indiana (CFP first round) *
- Record: 11-1
* Denotes CFP ranking
Indiana football 2024 schedule
- Saturday, Aug. 31: vs. FIU (W, 31-7)
- Friday, Sept. 6: vs. Western Illinois (W, 77-3)
- Saturday, Sept. 14: at UCLA* (W, 42-13)
- Saturday, Sept. 21: vs. Charlotte (W, 52-14)
- Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. Maryland* (W, 42-28)
- Saturday, Oct. 5: at Northwestern* (W, 41-24)
- Saturday, Oct. 12: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. Nebraska* (W, 56-7)
- Saturday, Oct. 26: vs. Washington* (W, 31-17)
- Saturday, Nov. 2: vs. Kentucky* (W, 28-18)
- Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Michigan State* (W, 47-10)
- Saturday, Nov. 16: BYE
- Saturday, Nov. 23: at No. 2 Ohio State* (L, 38-15)
- Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. Purdue* (W, 66-0)
- Saturday, Dec. 21: at No. 7 Notre Dame (CFP first round) **
- Record: 10-2, 6-2 Big Ten
* Denotes Big Ten game
** Denotes CFP ranking
Notre Dame football news
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