Bleacher Report
The 12-team College Football Playoff kicked off on Friday night, with Notre Dame coming out on top.
The No. 7 seed Fighting Irish took down Indiana, the No. 10 seed, by the final score of 27-17 at Notre Dame Stadium.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
NOTRE DAME ROUTES INDIANA, 27-17 🔥☘️
Riley Leonard: 23-32 pass, 231 total YDs, 2 total TD, 1 INT#CollegeFootballPlayoff pic.twitter.com/9f6VLqYkie
Head coach Marcus Freeman’s team jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter due to a 98-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore Jeremiyah Love.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
JEREMIYAH LOVE GOES 98 YARDS 🤯🔥
THE 12-TEAM CFP IS OFFICIALLY HERE 🍿 pic.twitter.com/zCOZ2E0yWO
Love finished with a game-high 108 yards on eight carries.
ESPN @espn
SERIOUS STIFF ARM FROM JEREMIYAH LOVE 💪
Notre Dame firmly in control heading into the 4Q on ABC/ESPN. pic.twitter.com/XIM0ZQdWLZ
Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard wasn’t flawless by any means, but he was able to consistently move the chains and help Notre Dame build its lead throughout the contest. Leonard finished 23-of-32 for 201 yards and a touchdown to go along with an interception. He also picked up 30 yards and a second score on the ground.
ESPN @espn
RILEY LEONARD MAKES FIGHTING IRISH HISTORY 😤
The most single-season rushing touchdowns for a Notre Dame QB ever 👏 pic.twitter.com/uIjUVEHRTx
The Hoosiers entered the contest with the highest scoring average among all Big Ten teams in 2024, but they were unable to gain traction against Freeman’s defense until the game was out of hand.
Indiana amassed a mere 278 yards of offense which included 63 rush yards, recording 2.3 yards per carry.
Fans and pundits were impressed with Notre Dame during the victory.
Geoff Schwartz @geoffschwartz
Simple story to explain this game. Notre Dame has far better players than Indiana.
Joel Klatt @joelklatt
Such a great night for CFB! Incredible to watch a true playoff game on campus in that environment.@NDFootball totally owned Hoosiers…Every aspect…The conservative coaching decisions from @IndianaFootball was not what I expected
We get to do this 3 more times tomorrow
Chris Vannini @ChrisVannini
Don’t let The Discourse distract you from the fact that Notre Dame’s defense is Really Good and that’s my biggest takeaway tonight.
Peter Burns @PeterBurnsESPN
Kinda the perfect win for Notre Dame.
Dominated at home for majority of the game but have a few late scores that they use keep them humble and hungry when watching film.
LC @laurencowling
Idc how bad Indiana looked tonight… Notre Dame is gonna be a tough team to beat
Can’t believe I’m saying that
Skip Bayless @RealSkipBayless
Notre Dame looked dominant tonight… in part because the lights were too bright for Indiana. I like Georgia, even with the backup QB. Especially with the backup QB.
Now, Notre Dame will face off against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl for an opportunity to earn one of the final four spots in the CFP.
The Bulldogs will be shorthanded, as quarterback Carson Beck is in danger of missing the contest with an elbow injury.
The Fighting Irish are set to battle Georgia on Jan. 1.
