The first game of the 12-team College Football Playoff got off to a wild start.
Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love ripped off a 98-yard run in the first quarter of a dominant 27-17 Irish win on Friday and it happened a play after Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke threw an interception. Love’s run tied the longest in school history as he became the first player to find the end zone in the expanded playoff.
Right before his run, Xavier Watts picked off Rourke on an ill-advised throw. Rourke’s pass came right after Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt made a fantastic catch along the sideline on third down. As Indiana hurried to the line of scrimmage to make sure there was no replay review of Sarratt’s catch, ESPN had to cut the replay of the grab short.
Indiana had the ball after Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard had thrown an interception on Notre Dame’s second offensive play of the game.
The run put Love over 1,000 yards rushing for the season. He entered Friday night’s game with 134 carries for 949 yards and 15 rushing TDs. His carry is also the longest run in College Football Playoff history. That record had stood from the first weekend of the four-team playoff when Ezekiel Elliott ripped off an 85-yard run in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama on Jan. 1, 2015.
Notre Dame advanced to the quarterfinals with its win and will face No. 2 Georgia on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl.
