Notre Dame kicked off the 2024 College Football Playoff with a convincing 27-17 victory over Indiana. The Irish offense jumped on Indiana early and the final score was much closer than how the game played out.
Indiana came into the game with the No. 2 defense in the country and the No. 6 scoring defense. The Hoosiers also ranked No. 1 in rush defense, No. 9 in pass defense and had the No. 8 third-down defense in the country. Notre Dame surpassed Indiana’s season average in each of those categories and almost doubled up their points allowed.
It was a grind it out type of game for the Irish offense, who jumped on Indiana early and made sure they did what was needed to keep the Hoosiers from climbing back into the game. There were a number of factors that played a role in the offense being able to do what was needed for the Irish to earn the win.
Here are my takeaways from the Irish victory.
Riley Leonard Shined
Quarterback Riley Leonard earned my player of the game honors for his performance against the Hoosiers, but things certainly didn’t start off well for him. His first attempt was tipped into the air and was picked off, and his second attempt was dropped. Leonard completed his next eight attempts as the Irish jumped out to a 14-0 lead.
Leonard finished the game 23-32 (71.9%) and 201 yards to go with 30 rushing yards. Leonard threw a touchdown pass and capped off the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown, his 15th of the season, which set a program record for a quarterback. Leonard hit Jordan Faison on a post route for a 44-yard gain to set up that score. That was one of Leonard’s best throws of the season, and it was a play in which he to climb the pocket and be willing to take a hit while he delivered a strike.
The veteran quarterback played a huge role in the Irish offense being able to grind out the game and hold the ball for over 35 minutes. After Notre Dame jumped out to a 14-0 lead the Hoosier defense ramped up its pressure, and the Irish offensive line had issues giving Leonard clean pockets. His ability to avoid pressure and get the ball out, and his willingness to patiently take check downs helped the offense consistently move the chains.
Leonard saved the offense a lot of negative yards and turned them into positive games, which was arguably the biggest factor in Notre Dame being able to move the ball against the Indiana defense.
Running Backs Showed Out
Indiana came in with the nation’s best rush defense from a yards standpoint and it ranked No. 2 in yards allowed per rush. Notre Dame topped that total with its second carry of the night when Jeremiyah Love found a crease on the left side of the line and raced 98 yards for a touchdown, which tied the Notre Dame record for the longest run and set a College Football Playoff record.
On Notre Dame’s next possession the offense rushed for 36 more yards on 8 carries, with Jadarian Price going for 28 yards on five carries. His 20-yard gain set up the second touchdown, and once that ball was punched in it was clear the Irish were going to win this game comfortably.
The backs have been the foundation for the offense all season, and they played a key role in this outcome as well. Love, Price and Aneyas Williams combined for 164 rushing yards on 23 carries. That trio also caught seven passes for 41 more yards. Their 205 yards on 30 touches was an outstanding performance against an Indiana defense that was giving up just 244.8 yards of offense per game.
Was it the prettiest game? No, it wasn’t, and after Love’s 98-yard run the going was tough for the backs. Love wasn’t fully back to top health after suffering a knee injury against USC and was also battling the flu. Love and Williams had to grind out tough yards against a defense that had dominated the run all season long, and added more hats into the box after Love and Price combined for 123 yards on the first two series.
I’ve seen the argument made that if you take out Love’s 98-yard run the Irish run game didn’t do a whole lot. For starters, it’s pointless to remove that big run because it played a huge role in the game. But even without that run the offense surpassed Indiana’s season-long average on the ground.
Third Down Success
Indiana came into the game with one of the nation’s best third-down defense, one that ranked No. 8 nationally. Notre Dame’s offense struggled on third-down all season, with the Irish ranking No. 87 on third-down offense during the regular season. A big part of the win for the Irish was the offense putting together arguably its best third-down performance of the season.
Notre Dame’s 58.3-percent conversion rate was its second best outcome of the season. That performance is even more impressive when you consider that Indiana has not allowed a single opponent to even get to 44-percent in a single game, much less get to almost 60-percent like Notre Dame did. Ohio State went just 4-11 on third-down (36.4%) against Indiana, but the Irish had an impressive 7-12 performance.
Notre Dame went 5-7 on third-down in the first half, which helped the Irish jump out to a 17-3 halftime lead. Notre Dame went 0-2 on third-down in the third quarter, which is a reason the offense sputtered a bit in the third, but things turned back around in the fourth quarter as Notre Dame went 2-3 on third-down and put the game away.
Leonard went 5-7 for 29 yards on third-down, with three of his completions resulting in first downs. He also converted a 3rd-and-4 with a 7-yard scramble and converted another 3rd-and-1 with a 4-yard gain. He spread the ball around well, with all three of his third-down passing conversions going to a different receiver.
Running back Aneyas Williams carried the ball twice on third-down, with both carries moving the chains.
Love is Notre Dame’s best offensive player, and he didn’t convert a single third-down. The fact Notre Dame performed this well on third-down without their star player making a conversion adds to how impressive this was. It also shows that Notre Dame’s offense as a whole performed at a high level against a very good Indiana defense.
Wide Receiver Play Was Up-And-Down
Notre Dame’s wide receiver play was too inconsistent in the performance. There were some bright spots to be sure, with Beaux Collins converting an early third-down with a nice catch-and-run, and after dropping his first target, Faison went on to haul in seven passes for 98 yards. His 44-yard gain helped put the game away. Jaden Greathouse also had an impressive third-down conversion on his only target.
But as we’ve seen too many times this season, drops were an issue. Collins ran a choppy third-down route on the opening drive of the third-quarter, which prevented him from getting any separation, and he failed to haul in the third-down throw. Faison had an early drop as well.
Overall, the receivers didn’t play with enough urgency in the pass game. Their get off speed was inconsistent and they didn’t do enough to threaten the leverage of the Indiana defensive backs. That was the issue with Collins on his failed third-down target in the third quarter.
Faison’s post route was one of the best routes of the day, as he came off the line well, pushed the cornerback out, leaned him outside and then snapped off the post route. That allowed him to get separation and haul in the 44-yard gain that helped put the game away. Notre Dame’s receivers need to do a lot more of this on a far more consistent basis.