Notre Dame Rush Offense vs. Indiana Run Defense

The Irish have been outstanding when it comes to running the ball this season as they are ranked 10th in the nation averaging 224.8 rushing yards per game with 40 touchdowns and an average of 6.3 yards per rush. The Irish have rushed for 200 or more yards in 5 consecutive games and in 8 games overall this season with 1 game where they had 300 or more yards. Jeremiyah Love leads with 134 attempts for 949 yards with 15 touchdowns and an average of 7.1 yards per rush. Quarterback Riley Leonard has 124 attempts for 721 yards with 14 touchdowns and an average of 5.8 yards per rush. Jadarian Price has 89 attempts for 651 yards with 7 touchdowns and an average of 7.3 yards per rush. Aneyas Williams has 26 attempts for 174 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 6.7 yards per rush. Kedren Young has played in just 4 games and has 21 attempts for 116 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 5.5 yards per rush. The Irish have also allowed 50 tackles for loss so far this season.

The Hoosiers have been excellent against the run as they are ranked 1st nationally allowing just 70.8 yards per game with 10 touchdowns and an average of 2.5 yards per rush. They have allowed just 4 teams to rush for 100 or more yards and every other team was held to under 100 yards with Michigan State finishing with negative 36 yards. Indiana has also been extremely impressive in getting into opposing backfields with 86 tackles for loss with Mikail Kamara leading with 15 tackles for loss while James Carpenter has 9.5 tackles for loss and Jailin Walker has 9 tackles for loss.

The Irish continue to be very strong when it comes to running the ball as they mainly use Jeremiyah Love, Riley Leonard, and Jadarian Price to get in most of the yards, but also use Aneyas Williams who has played in almost every game as a true freshman. They will face an amazing run defense of Indiana that will be the best run defense that the Irish have faced since Army (who allowed the Irish to have a season high in terms of rushing yards). It should be noted though that the run defense of the Hoosiers has not played any notable rush offense this season as the Irish will be the only opponent they have played that has a rush offense in the top 50. It also appears that the possible weather during the game could lead to the Irish favoring the run even more so. If it were to come to this, then the Irish should be able to eventually wear down the Indiana run defense. This will certainly be a very interesting matchup to keep an eye on.

Edge: Even

Indiana Rush Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

The Hoosiers are solid at running the ball as they are ranked 51st nationally averaging 173.6 rushing yards per game with 37 touchdowns and an average of 4.5 yards per rush. Indiana had rushed for 200 or more yards in 4 games and had 1 game with 300 or more while having 2 games where they rushed for under 100 which were both very recent in games against Michigan and Ohio State. The Hoosiers would average 4 or more yards per rush in 7 games and had 5 games with less than 4 yards per rush with the lowest being 1.4 yards and 2 yards against Michigan and Ohio State, respectively. Justice Ellison leads with 148 attempts for 811 yards with 10 touchdowns and an average of 5.5 yards per rush. Ty Son Lawton has 131 attempts for 634 yards with 12 touchdowns and an average of 4.8 yards per rush. Kaelon Black has 46 attempts for 251 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 5.5 yards per rush while Elijah Green has 29 attempts for 201 yards with 5 touchdowns and an average of 7 yards per rush. Indiana has also allowed 49 tackles for loss as well this season.

The Irish have been solid against the run as they are ranked 51st in the nation allowing 138.8 yards per game with 11 touchdowns and an average of 3.7 yards per rush. The Irish have held all but 2 opponents to rush for less than 200 yards with the 2 opponents that did rush for 200 or more yards were service academies in Navy and Army. The Irish have allowed only 2 opponents to average 5 or more yards per rush which were Navy and USC. The Irish have allowed 8 rushing touchdowns in 4 out of the last 5 games with half of that being from Navy and Army who heavily favor the run. The Irish have also done well in getting into opposing backfields with 61 tackles for loss with the leading players coming from the interior defensive line in Rylee Mills with 7.5 tackles for loss and Howard Cross (who missed the last 3 games) with 5.5 tackles for loss.

The Irish have largely done well against the run this season and have faced 4 opponents who, as of writing, have rushing offenses that are in the top 25. The Hoosiers have faced only 2 that are in the top 25 rushing offenses, with those 2 being in the top 10. Indiana would be completely shut down against those 2 opponents which also happen to be the only teams they have faced with a winning record this season. Considering this, it is possible that Indiana will be in the same situation after having success against weaker competition. As the weather forecast for the game could make it harder to pass, the Hoosiers may have to lean on the run even though they have tended to favor the pass this season. This could make things favorable for the Irish as they are able to rotate players on the defensive line and will have Howard Cross back from injury while also having a linebacker unit led by a veteran player in Jack Kiser who has been with the Irish as long as Howard Cross. If the Irish take a good lead it could mean that Indiana will need to pass more and the Irish can rotate players up front as well. Like the previous matchup, this will also be an important area to keep an eye on.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Indiana Pass Defense

The Irish do not pass nearly as much as they run but have made some improvements as the season goes on and they are ranked 101st in the nation averaging 196.4 passing yards per game with 19 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and a completion rate of 66 percent. The Irish have passed for 200 or more yards in 6 games with a period of 5 games in a row (from Stanford to Virginia) where that was accomplished. The Irish also have a completion rate of 60 percent or more in 11 games this season with 4 games with a completion rate of 70 percent or more. It should also be noted that 2 of those games were the most recent games where they had season high completion rates of 77.8 percent and 78.3 percent against Army and USC, respectively. Riley Leonard has 194 completions on 293 attempts for 2,092 yards with 16 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and a completion rate of 66.2 percent. Steve Angeli has 18 completions on 28 attempts for 224 yards with 3 touchdowns and a completion rate of 64.3 percent. Beaux Collins leads with 34 receptions for 427 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 12.6 yards per reception. Jaden Greathouse has 26 receptions for 345 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 13.3 yards per reception. Jayden Harrison has 17 receptions for 211 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 12.4 receptions per reception. Jordan Faison has 16 receptions for 190 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 11.9 yards per reception. Kris Mitchell has 18 receptions for 190 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 10.6 yards per reception while Jayden Thomas has 16 receptions for 154 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 9.6 yards per reception. Mitchell Evans leads the tight ends with 29 receptions for 272 yards with 3 touchdowns and an average of 9.4 yards per reception. Eli Raridon has 8 receptions for 66 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 8.3 yards per reception while Cooper Flanagan has 4 receptions for 55 yards with 2 touchdowns an average of 13.8 yards per reception. The Irish have done well in pass protection by allowing 15 sacks and 15 quarterback hurries with 20 passes broken up.

The Hoosiers have been very impressive against the pass this season as they are ranked 9th nationally allowing 174 passing yards per game with 10 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a completion rate of 61.6 percent. Indiana has held 6 opponents to less than 200 yards in those games with the lowest total being 54 yards in the most recent game against Purdue. The 6 games where did allow 200 or more yards were over a period where it happened with 5 consecutive games and then Ohio State had 201 yards in the game before Purdue. There were 3 games where they held opposing teams to a completion rate of under 60 percent with those being against Division 1-AA Western Illinois and Michigan who each had a completion rate of 50 percent and Purdue had a completion rate of 42.9 percent. With that being said, 2 opponents did have completion rates that were 70 percent or higher with Washington having 70.4 percent and Ohio State having 84.6 percent. Indiana has done well in getting to opposing quarterbacks with 34 sacks and 29 quarterback hurries with 40 passes broken up.

The Irish passing offense are coming off back to back games where the completion rate would be the highest it has been this season. With multiple wide receivers able to make plays along with Mitchell Evans able to help move the chains and find the endzone (3 touchdowns in the last 4 games) will help make things a bit more even. It should be important to mention that the Hoosiers have faced another playoff team in Ohio State and the result saw a pass defense allow almost every pass get completed. The Irish will likely want to use the passing game to help move the chains and use shorter completions as well. With multiple tight ends being used every game could mean that the Irish favor them in the red zone as well. Indiana has the edge even though they have largely not played very strong competition outside of Michigan and Ohio State, but the Irish are getting closer than they have been as the passing game has improved since the conclusion of the game against Louisville. If the Irish are able to make plays in the passing game, it will help with leading to a more balanced offense.

Edge: Indiana

Indiana Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

The Hoosiers are a team that passes more than they run it and are ranked 29th in the nation averaging 265.2 passing yards per game with 31 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and a completion rate of 69.1 percent. Indiana has passed for 200 or more yards in 9 games with 5 of those games having 300 or more yards. The Hoosiers notably had 1 game where they passed for only 68 yards which was during their only loss of the season at Ohio State. Indiana also had a completion rate of 60 percent or more in 10 games with 5 of those games having 70 percent or higher and had 2 games where the completion rate was at 80 percent (against Nebraska) and 90.5 percent (against Western Illinois). Kurtis Rourke has 202 completions on 287 attempts for 2,827 yards with 27 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a completion rate of 70.4 percent. Tayven Jackson has 23 completions on 37 attempts for 349 yards with 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a completion rate of 62.2 percent. Elijah Sarratt has 49 receptions for 890 yards with 8 touchdowns and an average of 18.2 yards per reception. Omar Cooper Jr. has 27 receptions for 571 yards with 6 touchdowns and an average of 21.2 yards per reception. Myles Price has 33 receptions for 410 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 12.4 yards per reception while Ke;Shawn Williams has 34 receptions for 403 yards with 5 touchdowns and an average of 11.9 yards per reception. Miles Cross has 26 receptions for 323 yards with 4 touchdowns with an average of 12.4 yards per reception. Zach Horton at tight end has 20 receptions for 182 yards with 4 touchdowns and an average of 9.1 yards per reception. Indiana has allowed 18 sacks and just 9 quarterback hurries with 43 passes broken up.

The Irish have been outstanding at defending the pass this season as they are ranked 3rd in the nation allowing 157.9 passing yards per game with 9 touchdowns, 17 interceptions (5 returned for touchdowns), and a completion rate of 48.7 percent. The Irish have held 9 opponents to 200 yards or less this season with 4 of those opponents having 100 yards or less as well. The Irish allowed 3 opponents to pass for 200 or more yards with 1 recent opponent (USC) passing for 300 or more yards. The Irish have also held every opponent this season to a completion rate that is under 60 percent as well. The Irish have done well in getting to opposing quarterbacks as well with 30 sacks and 42 quarterback hurries and an impressive 52 passes broken up.

The Irish are coming off a game at USC where they allowed a season high 360 passing yards. There were some troubles in stopping the pass in part to USC throwing it downfield on a majority of every passing play and it led to completions every so often or pass interference penalties. With that being said, the Irish still only allowed them to complete 55.1 percent of those passes and were able to get some stops on USC drives with the notable 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns in the final minutes of the 4th quarter. The Hoosiers have had success throwing the ball this season, but have done so against weak competition this season. When facing any strong pass defenses such as against Washington they only had 124 passing yards (Kurtis Rourke was out that game) and also Ohio State had just 68 yards and were essentially shut down. The Irish pass defense will be among the best that they face this season and should be able to contain Indiana as well. If the Irish go up by a decent amount, it will likely mean that the Hoosiers will favor the pass at that point and the Irish should be able to contain them.

Edge: Notre Dame

Special Teams

Mitch Jeter has had some struggles as of late due to injury which has affected his range outside of extra points but with the extended period of time off after the game against USC should be closer to full strength and on the season is 6 out of 12 on field goals with an accuracy rate of 50 percent and a long of 48 yards. Zac Yoakam has also been used and is 2 of 5 on field goals with an accuracy rate of 40 percent and a long of 42 yards. Marcello Diomede has also been used as well but is 0 of 1 on field goals. James Rendell has punted 37 times with an average of 42 yards per punt. Jayden Harrison has returned 8 kickoffs for 181 yards with an average of 22.6 yards per return. Max Hurleman has returned 17 punts for 100 yards with an average of 5.9 yards per return. The Irish have also blocked an outstanding 6 kicks and have had 3 kicks blocked this season.

Nicolas Radicic has been quite accurate when he has had to kick field goals this season as he is 9 of 10 on field goals with an accuracy rate of 90 percent and a long of 41 yards. James Evans has punted 30 times with an average of 44.2 yards per punt. Solomon Vanhorse has returned just 4 kickoffs for 84 yards with an average of 21 yards per return. Myles Price has returned 23 punts for 289 yards with an average of 12.6 yards per return. The Hoosiers have blocked 3 kicks and have had 0 kicks blocked this season.

Stronger Unit: Indiana

Final Thoughts

The Irish are coming off what is arguably the most exciting win over archrival USC in the 21st century where the teams were trading scores until the Irish led for good in the 3rd quarter. The excitement would continue when USC was trying to tie the game late in the 4th quarter before Christian Gray took an interception from near the endzone to the other endzone before Xavier Watts went from endzone to endzone for another score. The Hoosiers are coming off an outstanding 66-0 win at home over Purdue and had kept the starters in play long after the game was out of reach. While the Irish defense did allow a lot of yards from USC, it must also be noted that the Irish had played the most physical game of the season in the previous week against Army. It was a game where the Irish defense spent just shy of 40 minutes on the field with 14 of those minutes all occurring in the 4th quarter as the Irish ran 2 plays that entire quarter which were an Aneyas Williams 58 yard touchdown run and a kneel down for the final play. With that being said, it would make sense that the defense was tired and USC was able to exploit that by running a lot of plays during the game with a lot of them being pass plays. Now the Irish have been able to rest more by being off for a few weeks. With weather projections as of writing show that there will be temperatures that are below freezing and also the possibilities of snow, this could factor into the game for both teams. As the Hoosiers favor the pass, they may have to turn to the run game which would help the Irish even more as they can rotate in players on the defensive line and have a linebacker unit led by a veteran player in Jack Kiser. The Irish favor the run and have multiple players that they can run the ball with along with an offensive line that has surprised many this season even with some injuries. The Hoosiers have had a surprising season for many, but have played a very easy schedule this season while underperforming against Michigan in a close win and being essentially shut down in a loss at Ohio State. The Irish will still not want to overlook Indiana even though they have not played much competition until recent games. Look for the Irish to stick to their strengths and use that to move on to the next round.

Prediction: Notre Dame 41, Indiana 27

As always, GO IRISH!

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