Game Thread | Indiana at Notre Dame | College Football Playoff

(10) Indiana at (7) Notre Dame

Notre Dame Stadium| 8:00 PM ET | ABC/ESPN | Line: Notre Dame -8.5 | Total: 52.5

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Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame DT Howard Cross III
Cross missed the final three games of the regular season and the defense got by without him, but they're going to need him in this game. Indiana's starting left guard is out for the season and his replacement, Tyler Stevens, has struggled. Cross always steps up his level of play in big games, which isn't great news for the Hoosiers.

Indiana WR Elijah Surratt
Indiana's WR1, Surratt has 17 receptions of 20+ yards this season and is averaging 18.1 yards per reception. He had a couple of big drops in the second half against Michigan, so how he'll handle the pressure in this game is in question. He does a great job with double moves and they'll look to target him as much as possible.

Notre Dame S Xavier Watts
Watts had another All-American season, but was even better in 2024 than he was last year. There isn't a more consistent game wrecker for the Irish than him and much like Cross, he seems to be at his best in the biggest games.

Indiana DE Mikail Kamara
Kamara has been a problem for opposing offensive lines to block all season. The James Madison transfer was a 1st team All-Big Ten player for the Hoosiers and his 60 total pressures are tied for fourth in the country. The only game where he wasn't much of a factor was against Ohio State and that's largely because they paid special attention to him with frequent double teams. He should receive the same kind of attention against Notre Dame.

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love
Love was the best player on the field against USC before an injury knocked him out of the game. He's back for this huge matchup and Indiana will do their best for that not to be the case against them. Love had 90 yards or more rushing in four of Notre Dame's last five games. He also came through with go-ahead touchdowns against Texas A&M and Louisville when those games were tight in the fourth quarter.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman:
“This is a part of being at Notre Dame. We look at it as an advantage and an honor to be at a place where you’re gonna have to prepare mentally for academics and you’re gonna have to prepare for finals. But at the same point, you’re gonna have to be able to focus on football when it’s football time. They’ve done an amazing job all year of balancing the two.

“This week’s no different. We have our football time where we truly get a chance to prepare. Then, they got to get ready for finals. Then, it’s during that free time, right? You don’t have finals all afternoon. You’re going to have some free time. It’s during that free time that we have to make the choices that reflect what we value. It’s important that we value the preparation for this upcoming opponent but also make sure we’re prepared to do a good job in our finals.”

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock: 
“I think just the consistency that he (Riley Leonard) has really started to show here towards the middle of the year on, probably after the bye week, and just make the plays that are there to be made. They're a team that kind of mixes up their zones and plays different versions and will jump into man from time to time. We've got to be able to be really decisive. They do a good job of trying to make you indecisive with how they kind of flop their coverages and the different things that they do. We’ve got to know where the ball is going. We’ve got to get it out of our hand, and we’ve got to be confident in doing that. If we do that, we're going to be in pretty good shape.”  

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden:
“Unit strength. First of all, we have excellent leaders downstairs, and they play really well together. Whoever’s been thrust into that spot — I can remember when Boubacar [Traore] and [Jordan] Botelho went down, Junior [Tuihalamaka] steps up and it’s like he didn’t miss a beat. Right before Louisville, we had one portal and one injury [at cornerback] and Leonard [Moore] steps up. I can go on and on. But the guys have done a great job of just being ready for their opportunity. We wouldn’t be where we are right now if the layers of guys weren’t ready for their opportunity or were saying, ‘Oh, I’m not getting in, so I’m not paying attention.’ They bought in to what we’re trying to get done, and when their opportunity came executed at a high level. Otherwise, you can’t be here.”

Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard: 
“I have more confidence now than I’ve ever had in my career,” said Leonard. “I feel like I’m throwing the ball better now than I have in my career. My body feels good, too. I’m very ready and mentally too, I’m the best.”

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