Notre Dame secured a decisive victory over Indiana, defeating the Hoosiers 27-17 in the opening game of the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff on Friday night in South Bend, Indiana.
Playing against each other for the first time since 1991, Friday night's game kicked off after the South Bend area received around two inches of snow earlier in the day, setting up for a chilly affair.
The game started on a chaotic note, with both teams throwing interceptions on their opening drives. However, the No. 7 seed Fighting Irish quickly regained their footing, taking control with a record-setting play early in the first quarter.
Pinned at their own two-yard line, sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love ignited the crowd at Notre Dame Stadium with an electric 98-yard touchdown run. Taking the handoff in the end zone, Love broke through the left side and sprinted past the secondary, giving Notre Dame a 7-0 lead and setting the tone early.
The spectacular run was the longest in College Football Playoff history and tied the record for the longest overall run in the school's storied history.
Love finished the game with eight carries, 108 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Notre Dame's dominance continued into the second quarter. Irish quarterback Riley Leonard orchestrated a 16-play drive that drained over nine minutes off the clock, culminating in a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jayden Thomas. The touchdown extended the Fighting Irish's lead to 14-0.
No. 10 seed Indiana's offense struggled to find a rhythm throughout the first half, though the Hoosiers managed to salvage a 34-yard field goal late in the second quarter.
Notre Dame's kicker Mitch Jeter made a 49-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half to give the Irish a 17-3 lead entering the break.
"We're going to have to get the pass game going and get the offense going," Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said at halftime. "We're missing too many tackles on defense. I give Notre Dame credit, they're taking it to us and they get the ball first in the second half. So we got to get this thing turned around."
Indiana found themselves in uncharted territory against the tough ND defense.
According to the ESPN broadcast, Indiana trailed Notre Dame for a total of 22 minutes and 27 seconds in the first half. It nearly matched the amount of time the Hoosiers trailed in the first two quarters of the team's previous 12 games combined (22:41).
Notre Dame added to its lead on a Jeter 33-yard field goal to go up 20-3 as the Fighting Irish continued to pull away.
Leonard made history while putting an exclamation point on the victory as the fourth quarter 1-yard rushing touchdown was his 15th on the season, breaking the single-season record for Notre Dame.
Leonard, who transferred in from Duke ahead of the season, called it "crazy" to win a playoff game in front of the home fans.
"It's such a special place," Leonard said. "There's no place like Notre Dame. This is why you come here. This is why I came here, to compete. The College Football Playoff is such a blessing. I owe it all to these guys. Our defense showed out once again. Everybody around me just compliments my game day in and day out."
The Irish signal-caller threw for 201 yards and a passing touchdown to go with 30 yards gained on the ground and the short TD score.
"Listen, it's a great honor to obviously be a part of what's to come and I don't want to downplay that, but tonight is about tonight and about what this team did to achieve the outcome that we all desired," Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said after a game in which the Irish controlled throughout.
"I want them to celebrate that. I want them not to look past tonight, celebrate tonight, celebrate this victory that they worked tremendously hard to achieve and obtain.
"And then I told them they'll have tomorrow off. They can take one day off and we'll get them back on Sunday. Then we'll start thinking about the Sugar Bowl and the opportunity we have at hand. You don't get enough time in life and enough time in situations like this not to enjoy it."
Indiana scored their first touchdown of the night when Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke connected with Myles Price for a seven-yard score with 1:27 to go in the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers successfully completed the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 27-11.
A second touchdown with 25 seconds remaining in the game momentarily brought some intrigue to the game but Indiana failed on the two-point conversion to officially put them out of contention.
"All good things come to an end. And when you're my age, you've seen it all," Cignetti said after the game. "I have a lot of guys hurting in there but a part of life is learning how to deal with disappointment the proper way and come back a stronger person because of the experience. You never get everything you want in life. That's how life is.
" But it doesn't diminish what these guys accomplished, for sure this season which everyone in this room can detail out what this team's accomplished. A lot of firsts."
With the victory, Notre Dame notch their first win in the College Football Playoff in their third appearance after losing in the semifinals in 2018 and 2020.
Notre Dame will advance to play against No. 2 seed Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana.