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CFP players to watch, key to the game: Indiana at Notre Dame

nick bromberg
Senior writer
·3 min read

The first game of the 12-team College Football Playoff era is also a first in over 120 years for Notre Dame. Friday night’s matchup with Indiana is the first Notre Dame home game on a Friday since Nov. 30, 1900. Yes, really.

[More CFP: Tennessee at OSU | Clemson at Texas | SMU at PSU]

Time: 8 p.m. ET | TV: ABC/ESPN | Line: Notre Dame -7.5 | Total: 50.5

Indiana: The Hoosiers are the No. 10 seed with one loss because of a regular-season schedule that featured just one team with eight or more wins. And that team was the one that beat the Hoosiers. Indiana started 10-0 before losing 38-15 at Ohio State in a game where nothing went right for Indiana. The Hoosiers took out their frustration on Purdue the next week with a 66-0 win and has another shot to show it’s among the nation’s elite with a matchup against the Irish.

Notre Dame: Not counting Oregon, the only undefeated team in the country, the Fighting Irish have the longest win streak in the country. Notre Dame’s Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois feels like it happened in another dimension. The Huskies turned out not to be a contender in the MAC and Notre Dame has evolved into a powerhouse ever since. Just one of Notre Dame’s 11 wins has been by one score.

Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke has been one of the most efficient passers in the country. Over 11 games, the Ohio transfer has completed over 70% of his passes for 2,827 yards and 27 TDs with just four interceptions. He’s also averaging nearly 10 yards per pass attempt.

Riley Leonard has been far more dangerous with his legs than he has been throwing the football, though the Notre Dame passing offense has gotten its act together as the season has progressed. Leonard averages just over seven yards a throw and has thrown for less than 2,100 yards. But he’s rushed 124 times for 721 yards and 14 TDs.

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love: The sophomore isn’t a bell-cow back thanks to the way Notre Dame distributes its carries. But it’s indisputable that he’s one of the most dangerous running backs in the country. Love has 134 carries for 949 yards and 15 TDs so far this season. He averages as many yards per rush as Leonard does per throw and can break a long run at any moment. Love is also one of the most consistent players in college football. He’s scored at least one rushing touchdown in every game so far this season.

Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt: The James Madison transfer immediately became Rourke’s No. 1 option in his first season in Bloomington. Sarratt has four 100-yard games and had eight catches for 165 yards and two scores in Indiana’s season-ending win over Purdue. For the season, Sarratt averages over 18 yards a catch with 49 grabs for 890 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s one of five Indiana players with over 300 yards receiving this season.

How will Indiana be able to block Notre Dame’s defensive front? The Hoosiers struggled, especially in the second half, to neutralize Michigan’s defensive line in their 20-15 win. A week later against Ohio State, the Buckeyes overwhelmed Indiana up front and racked up five sacks and three more tackles for loss. If Indiana can’t slow down Notre Dame at the line of scrimmage, it’s going to be another long day.