As the excitement from Notre Dame's victory over Indiana still looms large, here are the key takeaways from the Irish's historic victory over the Hoosiers.

Photo by Notre Dame Athletics
After a couple of days of reflecting on No. 7 Notre Dame's 27-17 victory over in-state foe No. 10 Indiana, the Irish are still far from their best performance of the season. While their play against the Hoosiers was enough to secure a Sugar Bowl matchup against No. 2 Georgia, here are a few takeaways from this key playoff game.
Historic Atmosphere
Notre Dame Stadium was electric the entire night. From a rowdiness standpoint, Notre Dame fans had all day to gear up for the nighttime kickoff and create a true home-field advantage for the Fighting Irish: and they did just that. From the introductory videos to the final whistle, Notre Dame fans did their part in making the game a true home-game atmosphere, despite the regulations set in place by the college football playoff committee. The rally towels were a great idea and the return of Irish legends such as Jaylon Smith and Jerome Bettis sure helped energize the crowd. The week's storyline focused on how few 'firsts' remain in Notre Dame football history, but this past Friday night displayed how truly rejuvenated the fanbase is in the Marcus Freeman era.
Diminishing All Hope
Notre Dame controlled the action for most of the night, except for a brief four-play stretch after the Hoosiers picked off Riley Leonard's deflected pass and converted on one of their back shoulder plays on 3rd and long.
Outside of that brief sequence, the Irish controlled the game and never looked back. This is largely thanks to the dominant performance of the Notre Dame defense and the game plan implemented by Al Golden.
It is also credited to the consecutive touchdown possessions that were polar opposites. One was the explosive 98-yard run by Jeremiyah Love, who while still dealing with a knee injury and flu-like symptoms, could outrun every one of the Hoosier defenders. The other was the methodical 16-play, 83-yard touchdown drive that spanned 9 minutes. In much of the pregame analysis, Indiana's only shot at winning was due to their stellar run-defense halting the formidable Irish backfield, yet these two drives displayed Notre Dame could do whatever they wanted in this one.
Eliminating the Kicking Woes... somewhat
It was encouraging to see Mitch Jeter return to form in this game, despite his final kick being blocked due to its low trajectory.
The 49-yard field goal that matched Indiana's field goal on the previous possession was instrumental for the Fighting Irish as they desperately needed points to stop Indiana's momentum.
In their Irish breakdown video released earlier today, Jeter was quoted as saying "I'm back" on the sidelines. It will be imperative for Notre Dame to get a similar effort from Jeter in the upcoming matchup against Georgia where points will be at a premium. The kicking conditions in Caesars Superdome should also trump the bone-chilling night in South Bend.
Marcus Freeman's Growth
While Curt Cignetti drew much of the spotlight in this matchup, it was Marcus Freeman who out-coached Cignetti. By burning one of Indiana's second-half timeouts after the Irish came out in an unusual fake field goal formation, Freeman laughed and smiled on the sidelines.
It's also unusual that Cignetti's off-the-field bravado didn't carry over into the game atmosphere. On Indiana's field goal drive, they opted to run the ball out of a wildcat formation on 3rd and medium yet jogged the field goal unit out after only picking up a yard.
Then, there was the decision to punt the ball down by 17 points and ten minutes left in the 4th quarter. Even his decision to not let his return man attempt to run back a kickoff that barely reached the 10-yard line left ESPN commentator Sean McDonough flabbergasted. It could easily be said that first-time head coach Marcus Freeman, fresh off his new contract extension, out coached the AP coach of the year.
The Injury Bug Continues
In less satisfying news, Freeman confirmed this morning that Rylie Mills will be out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. That is now the fourth season-ending injury for this Notre Dame defense, and the second defensive captain to be out for the year.
In his last game for the Fighting Irish, Mills was dominant along the defensive line, and this is a brutal injury for Notre Dame to endure before going up the physical line of the Georgia Bulldogs.
On the offensive side of the ball, RG Rocco Spindler is questionable to return, with Sam Pendelton being his likely replacement; however, Freeman also said that Charles Jagusah returned to practice this week. While it's unlikely that Jagusah will take over for Anthonie Knapp, who has grown significantly this year, it will be interesting to see if Jagusah could fit into the guard position if Spindler can't go.
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa was also listed as questionable, but Marcus Freeman said that Bryce Young will be good to go against the Bulldogs. As Notre Dame has struggled with injuries all year, it will simply be "next man up" for the Sugar Bowl.

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