8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
Indiana Hoosiers Notes
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.
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). • 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. • 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. • 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). • 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. • 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.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notes
WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
• 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. • Notre Dame has never played a game at Notre Dame Stadium on a Friday.
OUT FOR THE GAME
• No. 36 LB Bodie Kahoun – Out for the game (right lower leg) • No. 11 WR KK Smith – Out for the game (clavicle) • No. 27 LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa – Out for the game (right knee)
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE
• Jayden Thomas entered 2023 season as Notre Dame’s leading returning receiver and served in that role in the first four games of the 2023 season, catching 12 passes for over 180 yards and a touchdown. • Beaux Collins is Notre Dame’s leading receiver in 2024, with 34 receptions for 427 yards. He recorded 91 receptions for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1,578 offensive snaps over 32 games (27 starts) at Clemson from 2021-23. He broke out late in his true freshman season with 31 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns. • Jaden Greathouse was the first Irish true freshman wideout to catch two touchdown passes in his first-career game (against Navy in 2023). His five touchdown catches during a rookie campaign are the most for a Notre Dame true freshman since 2016. • Jayden Harrison was a first-team All-American as a kick returner at Marshall last season, tying for the FBS lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2023. He recorded his first touchdown catch for the Irish in the 35-14 win over Virginia. In 2023, Harrison played in all 13 games for Marshall (started four), totaling 28 receptions for 410 yards (14.6 yards per reception) and a touchdown. • Kris Mitchell, a transfer from FIU, led CUSA and ranked in the Top 20 nationally in receiving yards in 2023 (1,118 – 18th nationally) and receiving yads per game (93.2 – 13th nationally). Mitchell owns 118 career receptions for 1,853 yards and 13 touchdowns. • Jordan Faison joined the Notre Dame football team as a walk on and made his collegiate athletics debut at No. 25 Louisville in 2023, and was put on football scholarship. He would end the season with 19 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns, capping the year by earning Sun Bowl MVP honors with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. • Notre Dame’s offensive line presents some new faces in 2024 with the departures of NFL Draftees Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. Pat Coogan, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Tosh Baker, Rocco Spindler and Charles Jagusah own starting experience. Irish linemen Aamil Wagner, Sam Pendleton and Anthonie Knapp all made their first-career starts at No. 20 Texas A&M. Even with injuries and young talent, the line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. • Mitchell Evans had a breakout season in 2023 before being sidelined with an injury. A 2024 semifinalist for the Mackey Award, he played in eight games as a junior in 2023, starting seven, and ended the season as the team’s top receiving target, averaging 52.8 yards per game. Through those eight games, Evans totaled 29 receptions for 422 yards and a touchdown during the season, averaging 14.6 yards per catch. • With Evans’ injury in 2023, Cooper Flanagan and Eli Raridon saw action in 2023, each scoring a touchdown, and will look to have an increased role in 2024. • Riley Leonard owns 33 rushing touchdowns for his career, ranking tied for second among all active FBS quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns. He entersedhis senior season and first with Notre Dame coming off a Duke career as one of the ACC’s premier quarterbacks. See page 22 for more on Leonard. • Steve Angeli made the most of his first-career start in the 2023 Sun Bowl completing 15 of 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to that game, he went 19-for-25 passing with four touchdowns in seven relief appearances. • With the departure of NFL Draft pick Audric Estimé, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are poised to lead the Irish running backs in 2024. Love has posted 11-straight games with a rushing touchdown. See page 25 for more on the Irish running backs
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE
• Joshua Burnham finished the 2023 season with 18 tackles, four tackles-forloss and a sack. Junior Tuihalamaka appeared in all 13 games in 2023 while posting 10 tackles. • Rylie Mills was named a 2024 team captain and is a distruptive force on the Irish defensive line. He posted 3.0 sacks in the win over Florida State, as the Irish totaled 8.0 on the night. See page 20 for more information on Mills. • Howard Cross III established himself as one of the top playmaking interior defensive lineman in the country during the 2023 season, and continued his dominance in 2024. See page 19 for more information on Cross. Donovan Hinish stepped up in relief of Cross when injured, and put together an impressive showing through three starts. He appeared in nine games in 2023 and posting a career-best four stops in the win over Central Michigan. • RJ Oben transferred from Duke in the offseason with 34 career starts and 50 games played. Entering Notre Dame, he had posted 67 tackles on his career, with 14.5 sacks (loss of 91 yards), five forced fumbles, two passes defended and an interception. Bryce Young is now seeing time in the regular defensive line rotation and has made a significant mark on special teams, ranking second in the nation in individual blocked kicks (3). He is four-star true freshman and was an Adidas All-American as a high school senior. See page 21 for more on Young. • Jack Kiser leads a linebacker room with young talent. A team captain and finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy and the 2024 Wuerffel Trophy, Kiser holds the Notre Dame record for career games played. See page 20 for more information on Kiser. Jaiden Ausberry appeared in four regular-season games in 2023, preserving his eligibility. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a highlytouted five-star linebacker who was a finalist for the high school Butkus Award in 2023. He posted a career-high seven tackles vs. Northern Illinois. Drayk Bowen has posted 54 tackles this season, second behind Kiser’s 64. He appeared in 12 games in 2023 (missing one contest with an injury) and recorded 14 stops and a forced fumble. See page 21 for more on Bowen. Jaylen Sneed appeared in all 13 games in 2023, totaling 14 tackles, five QB hurries and two PBU. • Jordan Clark joined the Irish from Arizona State with 22 career starts and 39 games played entering 2024. Throughout his college career, he has snagged four interceptions (one for a touchdown) and 164 tackles (118 solo) with 7.5 TFL and 24 passes defended. • Adon Shuler has posted three interceptions this season, one each against Texas A&M, Georgia Tech and Virginia. Starting each game in 2024, he showed his playmaking ability late in the 2023 season, posting all six career tackles in the final three games of the year. See page 21 for more on Shuler. Luke Talich quickly established himself as a special teams mainstay during his freshman season in 2023, and posted his first-career pick six vs. Florida State. • True freshmen Karson Hobbs, Leonard Moore and Kennedy Urlacher have impressed in preseason camp. Moore and Urlacher both garnered one four-star ranking through recruitment. Moore made his college football debut at No. 20 Texas A&M, and his first-career start vs. No. 15 Louisville, leading the team with seven tackles. He also posted seven tackles in his second start, at Georgia Tech. See page 19 for more on Moore. Tae Johnson made his debut on the depth chart for Florida State week, and saw his first game action after coming back from injury. • Christian Gray started his first-career game in the 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M. He saw action in 12 games and made 11 tackles in 2023. He intercepted his first career pass against Pittsburgh and finished the year with a career-best three tackles in the Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State. • Xavier Watts is a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Bednarik Award, Lott Trophy and Thorpe Award. Watts won the Nagurski Trophy in 2023 and was a unanimous All-American. See page 18 for more on Watts. Rod Heard II spent his prior career at Northwestern, where he amassed 31 starts and 46 games played with 182 tackles, 11 for loss, two sacks and two interceptions, as well as 10 passes defended, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery
