By Pete Sampson, Joe Rexrode and Seth Emerson

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 7 Notre Dame edged No. 10 Indiana 27-17 in the first game of the 12-team College Football Playoff on Friday night. The Fighting Irish will face No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

Two interceptions on the first three drives and a 98-yard touchdown run by Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love got the first playoff game on campus off to a dramatic start. But the fireworks fizzled out from there, especially for the Hoosiers, until they finally reached the end zone twice in the final two minutes, shrinking the lead to a loss. Still, Indiana posted its second-lowest points total of the season, amassing 278 yards of offense to Notre Dame’s 394 yards. Indiana gained just 63 yards to Notre Dame’s 193 yards.

Struggling Irish quarterback Riley Leonard went 22 of 32 for 201 yards and a touchdown, plus another 30 yards and a score on the ground. But it was the Notre Dame defense’s effort to stop Indiana’s normally potent offense that made this game stand out.

The athlete‘s analysis:

Notre Dame’s defense dominates

Notre Dame opened the season asking its defense to carry it, which it did almost every week until Thanksgiving. The Irish asked their defense to do the same to open the postseason. Again it answered the bell, holding Indiana to 17 points while the Hoosiers barely threatened the goal line just before a first-quarter drive that ended with a Xavier Watts interception.

It was a near-perfect game plan from defensive coordinator Al Golden, who increased the pressure on Kurtis Rourke early and never allowed the Indiana quarterback to get comfortable. Notre Dame’s defensive line had a lot to do with it, as Howard Cross’ return from an ankle sprain overwhelmed Indiana’s offensive line. Although the Irish were without defensive tackle Rylie Mills and defensive end Bryce Young due to injuries during the game, it didn’t play a major role.

Indiana, the second-best offense in the country during the regular season with 43.3 points per game, had no chance.

The performance erased Notre Dame’s struggles at USC three weeks ago, when the Irish were torn apart through the air until the game ended with consecutive pick-sixes. The performance was enough to make one wonder whether Notre Dame had ultimately been overused, relying on underclassmen in the secondary while a pass rush lost steam.

Not quite.

Indiana barely shot against Notre Dame.

The Irish will be tested to a new level in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia and the growing injury list will be a concern. But in the final home game of the season, Notre Dame put another performance on tape that suggests it has a national championship-caliber defense. — Sampson

Indiana had an incredible season, but Ohio State and Notre Dame took the mask off

Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers have no apologies for making it to the College Football Playoff with an 11-1 record. The CFP Committee doesn’t have to apologize either. Indiana played dominant football for most of the season, although the schedule looked much more difficult than it ended up being. But Notre Dame’s strong performance coupled with the Hoosiers’ 38-15 loss at Ohio State tell the story of a team that couldn’t keep up against extremely talented defenses. Michigan also exposed that offensive line a bit in its loss to Indiana. Kurtis Rourke had little time to throw and missed some of what he needed to do on the rare occasions he was able to scan the field. It was a historic, spectacular debut season for Cignetti. It ended with a reminder that a program with this history producing a true national title contender in a year just isn’t realistic. — Rexrode

What’s next? Georgia in the sugar bowl

Kirby Smart noted what Notre Dame fans were chanting when the Georgia coach appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” Friday afternoon: “We want Georgia! We want Georgia!”

“They have to win this first,” Smart replied, smiling amid the boos.

Notre Dame won, setting up a great matchup that is reminiscent of Georgia history and Smart’s tenure.

It’s a rematch of the 1981 Sugar Bowl, when Georgia won its second-ever national title. Then, in 2017, it was at Notre Dame where Smart started his program with a one-point win en route to an unexpected trip to the national championship game. Georgia won the rematch two years later in Athens, although it was also close.

At the time, Brian Kelly was the coach. Georgia is still essentially the same talented, physical SEC program, just with a more modern passing attack. The question is how far Marcus Freeman has taken a Notre Dame program that had wilted in the previous postseason.

The Fighting Irish are a physical team. The Bulldogs didn’t have their usual dominance in the trenches, but that was largely due to injuries and now they’re as healthy as they’ve been all year.

Georgia’s defense is based on stopping the run and taking advantage of its opportunities against the pass. But it’s been prone to edge running this year, so you have to imagine Smart’s cringe as he watched Love run 98 yards down the left sideline. Love probably won’t outrun Georgia’s defensive backs like that, but he could get a lot of good plays on the outside. Georgia was also vulnerable to dual-threat quarterbacks, so Leonard’s feet could be a headache.

Then again, new Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton could do the same in his first college start. The solid secondary of Stockton vs. Notre Dame will also be interesting. Georgia figures to have much better position players than Indiana, especially with tailbacks Trevor Etienne and Nate Frazier.

All in all, it’s a difficult game to predict. During Smart’s appearance, ESPN’s Rece Davis pointed out that Notre Dame has never beaten Georgia. That’s true, but all three games were decided by one possession. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if the fourth duel is just as close. — Emerson

(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)