Historic Season Halted in CFP First Round

Friday, December 20

South Bend, Ind.

Indiana University

11-2 , 8-1

Notre Dame

12-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Indiana

Notre Dame

12/21/2024 1:35:00 AM | Football

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By: Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Indiana's historic football season is over, but the win-big possibilities remain.

Coach Curt Cignetti was certain of that after Friday night's 27-17 playoff-opening loss at Notre Dame.

"You are what the record says you are," he said. "We are 11-2. We tied for second in the Big Ten. We made the playoffs. We packed (Memorial Stadium). We made a lot of people proud. It set the foundation for, hopefully, what's to come."

The Hoosiers are determined to ensure playoff runs become the norm and not the exception.

"I'm proud of these guys and this journey, and how we came together," quarterback Kurtis Rourke said. "We made a memorable season. It's not the way you want to end it, but I'm glad to do it together. It's the start of a dynasty at Indiana moving forward."

IU will move forward, center Mike Katic added.

"This is the closest team I've ever been a part of. They left everything out there. We changed the trajectory of Indiana football and the way people think of Indiana football. It was awesome."

Change continues. Beyond the signed 21-player freshman class, IU will sign a number of college transfers. Cignetti said seven transfer portal recruits will have official visits on Saturday. IU hopes to add a transfer quarterback.

The defeat was especially difficult for veterans such as running back Justice Ellison, who played their final college game.

"This is hard," he said. "We've done a lot. This is the foundation we wanted to start. We leave a legacy of hard work and sacrifice. I plan to come back and see how far it's grown."

Notre Dame (12-1) won its 11th straight game to advance to a Jan. 1 meeting with Georgia (11-2) in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl.

"Notre Dame has more depth," Cignetti said. "Some of their front-line guys are a little bigger, stronger, faster."

IU, so offensively dominant for most of the season, struggled against Notre Dame's nationally ranked defense. The Hoosiers couldn't consistently run or throw -- finishing with 63 rushing yards and 215 passing yards. They gained 126 of those total yards and 14 of their points in the final five minutes.

Rourke, who was 20-for-33 for 215 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, blamed himself for the struggles.

"Notre Dame did what we expected. It was a lack of execution on my part. We didn't finish some drives. I have to be better."

Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan credited the quality of Notre Dame's defense rather than Rourke's performance.

"We did a fairly good job of protecting Kurtis," he said. "Notre Dame made it challenging to get completions and get him in rhythm.

"They have a good defensive unit. We weren't able to win 50-50 contested catches that we had to win to have success. They got the better of us."

Shanahan added the loss didn't diminish what the Hoosiers accomplished.

"I hope this team is remembered for way it played all year and not just this game. These guys battled. There was no give up. It was a fun group to coach. Everybody bought in."

Notre Dame thrived with balanced offense. It threw for 201 yards, ran for 193, and possessed the ball 11 more minutes than IU. Irish quarterback Riley Leonard 23-for-32 for those 201 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 30 yards and a TD.

Hoosier defensive coordinator Bryant Haines was the architect of a defense that ranked among the nation's best with an aggressive, attacking scheme.

On Friday night, it wasn't enough.

"Our guys competed," he said. "They played hard. Notre Dame is a good team. That quarterback (Leonard) played well. We weren't able to rattle him. He delivered the throws he needed to make."

As for the Hoosiers, "There are a lot of good memories. I'll remember how much these guys changed things. They changed it forever."

IU had a first-quarter scoring chance when cornerback D'Angelo Ponds' interception and Rourke's 28-yard pass to receiver Elijah Sarratt put IU at the Notre Dame 17-yard line. Then came a Rourke interception, just his fifth of the season. One play later, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love ran 98 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Irish lead they never lost.

A promising Hoosier drive on their next possession, highlighted by runs of 10 yards from Ellison and 22 yards by Ty Son Lawton, ended in a punt. Notre Dame added an early second-quarter touchdown pass for a 14-0 lead.

Rourke completions of 15 yards to Sarratt and 17 yards to Myles Price set up Nicolas Radicic's 34-yard field goal for a 14-3 score late in the first half. Notre Dame countered with a 49-yard field goal for a 17-3 halftime lead.

Notre Dame had a 242-132 edge in total yards.

The Irish added a third-quarter field goal. IU defensive lineman James Carpenter blocked a fourth-quarter Notre Dame field-goal attempt. The Irish responded with a touchdown run for a 27-3 lead with 5:44 left.

Rourke threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Price, and then a 2-point conversion toss to Sarratt, for a 27-11 score. The Hoosiers got the on-side kick and scored on Rourke's 23-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. for the final 27-17 score.

"At my age, you've seen it all," Cignetti said. "A lot of times in life, it's learning how to deal with disappointment the proper way. You come back stronger.

"You never get everything you want in life. This doesn't diminish what these guys have accomplished. They had a lot of firsts. I'm proud of them.

"It's easy to say we didn't play our best, but a lot of it was because of who we played.

"Their defense suffocated our offense until the last minute and a half of the game. They beat us and they deserved to beat us."