By Colin McGuigan
INDIANA GAME NOTES
https://static.iuhoosiers.com/custompages/pdf/fb/2024/24-12-20-Notes-Notre_Dame.pdf
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A first round College Football Playoff meeting between the Indiana football program and Notre Dame will commence at 8 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 20) from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.
No. 9/9/8 INDIANA (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) at 3/3/5 NOTRE DAME (11-1)
Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, Ind.)
Friday, Dec. 16 | 8 p.m. ET
TV: ABC/ESPN | RADIO: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network
Setting the Scene
• No. 10-seed Indiana will head north to face No. 7-seed Notre Dame on Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET in Notre Dame Stadium on ABC/ESPN in the First Round of the College Football Playoff.
• ESPN’s College GameDay will originate from South Bend for a special Friday night edition of the network’s flagship pregame show.
• It will be the 30th all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 1991 when Notre Dame won 49-27 in South Bend.
• Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 23-5-1. Indiana is seeking its first win in the series since 1950 and first in South Bend since 1906.
By The Numbers
7 – Indiana set the record for most conference wins in a single season in program history with eight.
68 – Indiana’s 68 offensive touchdowns are its most in program history and lead the FBS entering bowl season. The total passes the 2013 team’s 61 offensive touchdowns.
37 – Indiana’s 37 rushing touchdowns are tied for the most in a single season in program history with the 1988 team.
10 – The 10-game winning streak was the longest streak in program history. The previous record was eight consecutive games in the 1945 and 1967 seasons.
3 – Curt Cignetti has won three different Coach of the Year honors thus far. MORE ON PAGE 6
News & Notes
• Indiana enters the game with a program-best 11-1 record after finishing the regular season with a 66-0 win over Purdue (11/30) in Week 14.
• The 66-point margin of victory is the largest against an FBS opponent in program history and marked its fifth 30-point win, of 2024 to equal the program record set by the 1917 edition.
• The 583 yards of total offense against the Boilermakers mark the most in a Big Ten game since 2016 against Maryland (650).
• Indiana’s defense held Purdue to 67 yards of total offense which marks the fewest yards of total offense allowed since at least 1958.
• The Hoosier defense forced five turnovers in the game to mark the second game this season with five-plus turnovers forced. It is the first time since 1988 that IU forced five-plus turnovers in multiple games in a season. That year, IU forced Ohio State (5) and Purdue (6) into the total.
• With just five first downs allowed, Indiana’s defense tied for the fewest in a game since at least 1958. It also allowed five first downs against Eastern Illinois (2019) and Minnesota (1958).
• Curt Cignetti‘s fantastic first season has earned him National Coach of the Year and three Big Ten Coach of the Year honors (Home Depot National Coach of the Year, Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year, Dave McClain Coach of the Year and Associated Press Coach of the Year). MORE ON PAGE 5 & 19
• There were a handful of Hoosiers that earned All-Big Ten Postseason honors. Aiden Fisher, Mikail Kamara and D’Angelo Ponds each earned All-Big Ten first team (coaches, media and AP). Kurtis Rourke was named to the second team (coaches, media and AP) while Elijah Sarratt was named to the third team (coaches, media and AP) and Mike Katic (media) earned third team. MORE ON PAGE 5
• Indiana has had multiple rushing touchdowns in 11 of 12 games and has 37 rushing scores on the season, which is tied for the most in a single season (1988).
• Rourke earned Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors when he tied a program-best six touchdown passes with 349 yards on a 23-of-31 passing day against Purdue. MORE ON PAGE 7
• Senior running backs Ty Son Lawton (11) and Justice Ellison (10) become the first set of Indiana running backs to reach 10-plus rushing touchdowns in the same season. They are the third IU duo to reach the mark, with the previous two including a quarterback (1991, 2000). MORE ON PAGE 9
• Sarratt recorded the highest receiving total in the Bucket Games by a Hoosier with 165 yards, which ranks No. 2 on the rivalry game’s all-time list. He passed James Hardy‘s 151 yards in 2006. He also had two receiving touchdowns. MORE ON PAGE 10
• Sarratt moved his consecutive games with a catch streak to 37-straight games with his 165-yard effort against Purdue.
• Senior linebacker Jailin Walker earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors as he notched 4.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, forced a fumble and had an interception in back-to-back weeks.
COURTESY INDIANA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
The University of Notre Dame football team (11-1) has earned the No. 7 seed in the 2024 College Football Playoff, and will host No. 10 Indiana (11-1) in the first-ever playoff game at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN/ABC.
The game will be the first-ever College Football Playoff game to take place on an institution’s home campus.
Notre Dame and Indiana are meeting for the 30th time, with Notre Dame owning a 23-5-1 record overall: 13-1-1 at home, 6-3 away and 4-1 at neutral sites. The Irish have not met Indiana in the postseason.
The last meeting between the two teams came on Sept. 7, 1991, a 49-27 Irish win at Notre Dame Stadium.
The Irish finished the season ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press and No. 3 in the Coaches Poll. Indiana finished the season ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll.
2024 marks the third time Notre Dame has earned a spot in the College Football Playoff (2018, 2020). With the introduction of the 12-team College Football Playoff, Notre Dame is one of four programs to host the first-ever College Football Playoff games at home.
The winner of the matchup will move on to the Allstate Sugar Bowl and take on No. 2 Georgia on Jan. 1, 2025 in New Orleans, La.
COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
