SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Indiana entered the College Football Playoff with the second-best offense in the country, allowing 43.3 points per game, the most in program history. But after months of shaping opposing defenses with a balanced running and passing game, even these record-setting Hoosiers had weaknesses.

The offensive problems began with a narrow 20:15 home win against Michigan. They were further distressed by a 38-15 loss at Ohio State, when Indiana totaled a season-low 151 yards. And they led to a historic season that ended with a 27-17 loss at Notre Dame on Friday night. Those three appearances in the last four games — against the best defenses they’ve faced — represent the Hoosiers’ lowest-scoring performances this season.

Against Notre Dame, Indiana’s offense had problems early on and came out way too late.

“Defensively, they pretty much stifled our offense until the last minute and a half of the game,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said.

For a fleeting moment there was a promise. An interception by Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds on Notre Dame’s first drive gave the Hoosiers good field position at the Irish 41-yard line. As has happened many times this season, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke connected with wide receiver Elijah Sarratt in one-on-one coverage when Sarratt fielded a tipped pass at Notre Dame’s 17-yard line. This is the Indiana offense that everyone knew.

Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan planned to change tempo to keep Notre Dame on its heels, something he does every game. Indiana moved quickly after the long completion to Sarratt, believing they could catch Notre Dame with the wrong personnel on the field.

Rourke excelled all season with passes over the middle and looked for wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams there on the next play. But his pass into double coverage sailed past Williams and into the arms of Notre Dame All-American safety Xavier Watts, who intercepted it.

“They were on the third line of defense and we tried to pass them with a substitution after a big play,” Shanahan said. “Kurtis, I think the first reading was there. He worked through the progression and made that throw a thousand times, (but it was) a little off target. And No. 0 (Watts), he made great plays for those guys all year long. And he made another great catch.”

After Indiana threatened to take an early lead, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love stormed past the Hoosiers for a 98-yard touchdown one play later, giving the Irish a 7-0 lead.

Indiana made it to the Notre Dame 37-yard line on the following possession hoping to get on the field. The running game worked early as Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton gained 10 and 22 yards, respectively. But a Rourke incompletion error on 3rd-and-8 led to Cignetti playing it safe and punting on 4th-and-8.

That pass marked a 1-for-5 start for Rourke, who admitted he never got into the right rhythm Friday night.

“My eyes weren’t in the optimal position at times and it’s easy to play when you’re in rhythm. I didn’t help myself that way,” Rourke said. “Notre Dame definitely has some great players and a good plan, but I felt like I hurt the offense more than they slowed us down.”

The Hoosiers reached midfield on the following possession after a 15-yard pickup by Ellison, but their next two running plays were immediately aborted. Indiana finished the game with 27 carries for 63 yards, just 2.3 yards per carry. And aside from a few strong plays early on, Notre Dame stifled what had been a reliable aspect of Indiana’s offense for most of the season. Indiana had five games with over 200 rushing yards and ten games with 3.6 yards per carry.

But his inability to consistently pass the ball against Notre Dame put Indiana in precarious downs and distances all night.

“We tried to establish the run and we did that well. We had some runs early in the first half,” Shanahan said. “And whenever we came back to it, it was maybe a one-yard gain or they were in the backfield for a TFL. We somehow got out of schedule and couldn’t push through when we got behind the chains.”

Notre Dame sacked Rourke twice on Indiana’s first possession of the second half, resulting in two eight-yard losses. With momentum on their side, the Irish steadily ticked away the clock in the third quarter with a drive that lasted nearly seven minutes and ended in a field goal, extending their lead to 20-3.

Cignetti said Notre Dame’s defense won the line of scrimmage, won the one-on-one battles at the rim, influenced Rourke and pushed for the ball. Indiana center Mike Katic said Notre Dame’s defense is constantly moving and putting different pressures on the offensive line. This proved difficult to manage.

“I think they’re not the biggest group up front, but they’re super nervous and fast,” Katic said. “And they brought a lot of different packages and movements and brought the linebackers cross dogs, arrows and all that, different things.”

Early in the fourth quarter, two Rourke incompletions set up 4th-and-11 at the Notre Dame 48-yard line with 10:45 to play. Indiana was 17 points behind at that point and the season was about to end. Cignetti was known for his aggressive style most of the season, but in this situation he decided to punt.

Notre Dame scored on the following possession to take a 27-3 lead. Cignetti explained that his decision to punt was due to the offensive failures during the game.

“I didn’t want to punt, but I didn’t want to end up on 4th and 10th. It’s like wishing and hoping for something. At this point there is no evidence to convert 4th and 10th,” Cignetti said. “And if you win the game, there’s still time to punt. So that was the reason for it. I didn’t want to do it. But I felt like it was the best move.”

Indiana’s offense finally started moving the ball late in the fourth quarter with two touchdown passes from Rourke to Myles Price and Omar Cooper Jr. But he was already buried in too deep a hole to come back and win the game.

In addition to a lackluster running game, Rourke completed 20 of 33 passes for two touchdowns and one interception, a performance below the standard he set as a ninth Heisman Trophy finisher.

Rourke and the Hoosiers will be remembered as the best offense in program history, but they fell short against a Notre Dame defense that produced no surprises – it was simply the better unit.

“There wasn’t really anything new that we expected from them,” Rourke said. “They came out and did what we expected and just the lack of execution on my part didn’t help me finish some drives. We just…”I need to be better at finishing those drives, and we did that in the fourth quarter, but I need to get better.”