SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Bulldogs will face Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day as the expanded College Football Playoff continues. Here are some takeaways from the Fighting Irish’s 27-17 first-round victory Friday over Indiana that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score makes it appear.
Notre Dame on a roll
This was history for a place that’s achieved most everything throughout its storied past. The Irish became the first team to host an on-campus CFP game. They became the first team to win one, too, dominating en route to a 27-3 lead late in the fourth quarter. The eye test showed Notre Dame was a far tougher and more imposing group than the Hoosiers, who defied the odds to even reach that point. The stat sheet showed the same: Notre Dame surrendered just 131 total yards over three quarters, including holding Indiana’s high-powered group to -7 yards in the third quarter.
The Irish won’t have such a roster advantage against Georgia, but they did everything they were supposed to do against an inferior team. That’s been the story of their season since inexplicably losing to Northern Illinois at home, 16-14, Sept. 7. Notre Dame had won 10 straight by an average margin of 31 points entering Friday, which included ranked wins over Louisville, Army and Navy. There aren’t many teams playing better.
This is the fifth time Notre Dame has won 12 games, the most in school history.
“I’m greedy, and my focus is — although I don’t want (my team’s) focus to be on it (at the moment) — my focus is going to be on find a way to get 13,” coach Marcus Freeman said after the win. “That’s what matters. That’s what’s going to be important, to enjoy this thing but get ready for the next opportunity.”
Deep defense
Notre Dame has a myriad of high-end talent on its defense, even without top cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who was sidelined early this season with a hip injury. Freshman cornerback Leonard Moore is a rising star (Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was 1-for-7 targeting Moore). Safety Xavier Watts, who had a key interception early against Notre Dame, is among the best in the country. Defensive tackle Howard Cross III’s return from a six-week absence helped the unit Friday. They’re a sound unit that plays with a ferocity and physicality that some past teams lacked.
The Irish boast the No. 3 pass defense nationally. They stifled Rourke, allowing only 85 passing yards through three quarters, and made one of the sport’s more consistent offenses look pedestrian.
Notre Dame ‘not worried about the end of the game’
For those trying to read anything into the game’s end: don’t. Indiana, down 24, assembled a touchdown drive in 3:17 (12 plays, 76 yards). It recovered an onside kick and scored again in 59 seconds (eight plays, 50 yards). The final score didn’t reflect the ease with which Notre Dame played during the evening.
“We had the game in control the whole game, so I’m not worried about the end of the game,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “Obviously we have to finish better and I have to make some calls there, but at that point, I just didn’t think continuing to show elaborate pressures in that situation was to our benefit, to be quite honest with you.”
Freeman: “Some good teaching opportunities for us. We’re going to use that fourth quarter defensively. … I’m actually kind of glad it did happen because it’s going to be a chance for us to humble ourselves and get back to work and work on ways to improve as we get ready for this next opportunity.”
Still, the Irish defense isn’t impenetrable. USC, as disjointed as it’s been, scored 35 points and had 557 yards against Notre Dame on Nov. 30. The Irish had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in a 49-35 win.
Dual-threat quarterback
Georgia fans will hear a lot about Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard in the next 10 days. Leonard is another signal caller who relies on his legs. He was solid as a passer Friday, going 23-for-32 for 201 yards, but didn’t have as much rushing production (30 yards on 11 attempts, getting sacked twice). The stats don’t properly show his mobility’s impact, though. Like Georgia Tech’s Haynes King, Leonard can extend plays and dash for yards of his own.
And his experience shined against Indiana. He navigated the pocket masterfully. He was unfazed after getting intercepted on the first drive.
Riley has a nice rapport with the emerging Jordan Faison, who had seven catches for 89 yards Friday, including a 44-yard snag that set up Notre Dame’s final score. The Irish emphasized getting Faison, also a lacrosse player, involved.
“He’s a guy for us who’s got to touch the football,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said.
It comes down to the run game
Perhaps Notre Dame’s most talented player is sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love, who opened the scoring Friday with a 98-yard dash. “He is the engine that sparks this thing to go in a real positive direction,” Denbrock said. “Every week he seems to find a way to make an explosive play.”
To Indiana’s credit, it otherwise held Love, who was battling an illness, to 10 yards on seven rushes. But the Irish ran for 194 yards on 34 attempts against the country’s No. 1 rushing defense. Love’s run accounted for a chunk of that and alone surpassed the total rushing yards Indiana was surrendering per game (86).
Georgia’s inconsistencies against the run — except against the Longhorns — are well known. Notre Dame is 11th in the country at 222 rushing yards per game, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Now, the Irish are 36th nationally in run defense, four spots behind Georgia, giving up 133 yards per game. Trevor Etienne and Nate Frazier will be vital.
If the Bulldogs shut down the Irish’s rushing attack as they did against Texas, it’s difficult to see an avenue to a Notre Dame win. If the Irish can grind out ground yards, they’re capable of hanging around.
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