SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Jeremiyah Love tied the Notre Dame record with a 98-yard touchdown run, Riley Leonard added two more points and the Fighting Irish defeated and overwhelmed the highest-scoring team in the College Football Playoff Indiana 27-17 on Friday night.

The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish (12-1) won their 11th straight – and their first playoff win. They face second-place Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman earned the biggest victory of his three-year career, extending his Irish record to 12 wins over ranked teams in three seasons.

Tenth-seeded Indiana (11-2) capped a magical season by scoring its second-fewest points of the season on a cold, brisk night in the first CFP game ever played on campus. Both of the Hoosiers’ losses came to top-five opponents. Indiana set a school record for wins in a season, but still hasn’t won at Notre Dame since 1898.

Notre Dame took control on its third offensive play when Love rounded the right side of the Indiana defense, evaded a tackle and sprinted down the sideline to make the game 7-0. He matched Josh Adams’ longest run in school history, which came against Wake Forest in 2015. It was also the longest run in CFP history.

Love finished the game with eight carries for 108 yards, although he appeared to re-injure his left knee later in the first half.

Indiana never recovered after Notre Dame made the score 14-0 early in the second quarter.

Leonard’s 1-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter gave him 15 points on the season, breaking Notre Dame’s single-season record by a quarterback.

Indiana scored both touchdowns in the final 1:27.

Notre Dame made it 14-0 early in the second quarter on Leonard’s 5-yard TD pass to Jayden Thomas. The Irish settled for three more field goals, and the defense took care of the rest, allowing only one field goal.

Leonard was 23 of 32 for 201 yards and one interception. Notre Dame receiver Jordan Faison caught seven passes for 89 yards.

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke had another poor game against a top defense, finishing 20 of 33 for 215 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, and the Hoosiers rushed for just 63 yards.

Takeaways

Indiana: The Hoosiers trailed by fewer minutes entering the playoffs than any other FBS team this season and were the highest scoring team in the playoffs. They failed to do either on Friday night against a strong Irish defense that rattled Rourke early on.

Notre Dame: The Irish have relied on the running game and defense all season – and it was that combination that gave Notre Dame its first playoff win in school history. They may need to get more out of their passing game to win their first national championship since 1988.