SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Coach Curt Cignetti and the 10th-seeded Hoosiers spoke confidently about national championship aspirations. But their record-setting season ended Friday night with a 27-17 loss to No. 7 seed Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Indiana’s top-ranked run defense allowed a 98-yard rushing touchdown from Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love on the second drive, and its second-ranked offense couldn’t stay undetected for most of the game against a stifling Irish defense. Notre Dame finished the game with a commanding lead of 35:43 to 24:17.

Notre Dame will face No. 2 seed Georgia in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 1 at 8:45 p.m. ET. Indiana finished with a record of 11-2. the most wins in program history. But the end wasn’t pretty as quarterback Kurtis Rourke struggled and the offense didn’t begin to take hold until the game was all but decided.

Indiana went three times out of bounds on its first possession and quarterback Kurtis Rouke threw an interception on its second possession after a Notre Dame turnover gave the Hoosiers excellent field position. That was a sign of things to come, as Indiana finished with just 278 yards and Rourke completed 20 of 33 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Indiana running backs Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison had gains of 22 and 15 yards, respectively, but those runs were rare. Indiana finished the game with 27 carries for 63 yards, just 2.3 yards per carry.

Notre Dame All-American safety Xavier Watts had a big day with 10 tackles and an interception. The Irish defense was particularly strong on third downs, holding Indiana to 4 of 12 in those situations.

Love’s big run early in the game highlighted what had been Notre Dame’s strength all season: its running game. The Irish finished the game with 193 yards on 35 carries, a gain of 5.5 yards per carry.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard made an early mistake, but he was solid from that point on. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 201 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also made a few key plays with his legs, rushing for 30 yards and scoring a touchdown on 11 attempts.

Neither quarterback got the start they wanted. Leonard’s first pass attempt of the game was deflected at the line of scrimmage by Indiana defensive tackle James Carpenter and intercepted by cornerback D’Angelo Ponds at the Notre Dame 41-yard line.

Indiana immediately threatened with a 28-yard completion from Rourke to Elijah Sarratt, who showed impressive concentration and delivered a deflected pass at the Notre Dame 17-yard line. But Rourke threw the ball into double coverage over the middle, and All-American safety Xavier Watts was there for the interception. The good field position was lost.

Leonard was on his own goal line and handed the ball to Love, who saw a wide line on the left side. He hit the hole, broke through the first line of defense and was too fast for the Hoosier to catch. Love stormed down the sideline for a 98-yard touchdown, giving Notre Dame an early 7-0 lead. That run alone exceeded the season average of Indiana’s top-ranked run defense, which allowed just 70.8 rushing per game entering Friday.

The Hoosiers entered Notre Dame territory on their next possession, with a 10-yard run by Justice Ellison and a 22-yard run by Ty Son Lawton. But Rourke’s 3rd and 8th pass flew incomplete over Sarratt’s head. Cignetti had a difficult decision at the Notre Dame 37-yard line, probably out of reach of kicker Nico Radicic, but risky. He decided to punt, and James Evans’ punt was no good, only 20 yards.

Leonard and the Fighting Irish did what they do best on the next drive and slowly but surely wore down their opponent. Using a balanced mix of runs and passes, Notre Dame put together a 16-play, 83-yard drive that ended with 9:08 left. Leonard’s quarterback keeper converted a 3rd-and-1 in the red zone, and his play-action pass to Jayden Thomas gave the Irish a 14-0 lead with 12:52 left in the first half.

Indiana reached midfield on its next drive with a first down completion to Ke’Shawn Williams and a 15-yard run by Ellison thanks to good perimeter blocking. But Indiana chose to run the ball on 3rd-and-10, got stuffed and had no choice but to punt. Evans’ troubles continued, his punt traveling just 28 yards to the Notre Dame 22-yard line.

Indiana’s defense got a much-needed stop on the following possession and the offense took over at its own 36-yard line. Rourke had trouble making passes over the middle early, but he recovered with first-down passes to Sarratt and Price, putting the Hoosiers in the red zone.

Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan called for a direct snap to Ellison on 3rd-and-5, and it only took one yard. Indiana lined up to try, but Cignetti called a timeout and elected to kick. Radicic’s 34-yard field goal put the Hoosiers ahead, trailing 14-3 with 3:26 left in the half.

Shortly before halftime, Notre Dame increased its lead. Wide receiver Jordan Faison made a diving catch to convert 3rd-and-6, and a 12-yard pickup by Aneyas Williams moved the chains to another third down. That was enough to set up Mitch Jeter’s 49-yard field goal seven seconds before halftime, giving the Irish a 17-3 lead.

The Irish ran a reverse play on the first kickoff of the second half, setting themselves up for optimal field position at the Indiana 47-yard line. But Indiana’s defense stayed strong and got a crucial stop on 3rd-and-6 to force a punt.

Indiana’s pass protection faltered on the ensuing drive when Rourke was sacked twice deep in his own territory. Carpenter made an uncharacteristic error shortly afterward and received a late penalty for colliding with Leonard out of bounds. This happened on the 3rd and 14th, giving the Irish a new string of defeats. However, Indiana held Notre Dame away with a field goal to limit the damage, but still trailed 20-3 with 4:21 left in the third quarter.

Carpenter blocked Jeter’s field goal with 12:22 to play, keeping the Hoosiers alive for now, although it still required an improbable comeback. Rourke’s third-down pass went nowhere and Cignetti elected to punt on 4th-and-11 from the Notre Dame 48-yard line with 10:45 to play.

Leonard completed his biggest pass of the game on the ensuing drive, a 44-yard shot to Faison over the middle and just short of the goal line. Leonard fooled the Indiana defense at the goal line, faked a handoff and walked alone into the end zone, extending Notre Dame’s lead to 27-3 with 4:50 left.

Indiana’s offense marched down the field, setting up a seven-yard touchdown by Myles Price and a two-point conversion reception by Sarratt. The Hoosiers even recovered an onside kick and Rourke threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. with 25 seconds left in the game. But his two-point conversion failed and the comeback bid ended.

Indiana’s historic season featured many exciting moments, but ended in disappointment.