SOUTH BEND, Ind. - No. 7 seed Notre Dame knocked out No. 10 seed Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff Friday at Notre Dame Stadium. The Hoosiers lost 27-17, ending their first season under coach Curt Cignetti with an 11-2 record.
Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, center Mike Katic and running back Justice Ellison spoke to the media after the loss. Here's everything they said.
On what Indiana football is capable of based on his experiences of the ups and downs...
Katic: "I know what the history of Indiana football and I'm really excited about the future of it, but just, you know, a gritty group of guys that come to work every day and put everything into their their body of work. Just really proud of this team and how we came out this season."
On what Notre Dame did to keep Indiana's offense out of rhythm...
Rourke: "There wasn't really anything new that we expected them to do. They came out and did what we expected and just a lack of execution on my part and just didn't help finishing some drives. We just got to be better at finishing those drives, and we were able to it in the fourth quarter, but I need to better."
On his first interception and if that made it difficult to get in sync...
Rourke: "Yeah, it was man-to-man coverage, just trying to get them with a tempo play and just threw it a little bit too far and the defender made a nice play. But I didn't need to make that throw in that situation."
On if he set the foundation for a better future for Indiana football...
Ellison: "Without a doubt. I got a little emotional at the end of the game cause I feel like this university, Bloomington, it gave me opportunity. I was on my fourth or fifth year, and I took a chance and I came to a town and I was like, 'Hey, I wanna be able to make something out of it.' So I believe that this year, it's hard as a competitor to kind of like be settled over what you've done in the past, but we've done a lot. I think the foundation is something that I wanted to start, leave a legacy with the guys that, you know, come in every single day working hard, loving each other, sacrificing blood sweat and tears every single day, and I plan to come back and see how far the foundation has grown."
On what he's most proud of...
Katic: "As a whole, so proud of how this team has played this season as usually the underdog. A lot of people doubted us all year, but we kind of stuck to us, we kind of just relied on each other in each room and we we proved a lot of people wrong. There's so much more to be proud of, but I don't wanna get too too emotional up here."
On what made Notre Dame's defensive front difficult to deal with...
Katic: "I think up front, they're not the biggest group, but they're super twitchy and fast and they're bringing a lot of different packages and movements and bring the linebackers cross dogs, arrows, all that, different things. Then up front, they really didn't play us straight all game, they were always moving and doing different things, but that's kind of what I saw up front."
On what he's proud of and his emotions that the season is over...
Rourke: "I'm just proud of the the guys in this journey. A lot of us have been new to this program this year and the guys that have been here for for years, like Mike. I'm just so proud of how we've come together as a team and been able to make a memorable season like it has been. Although it wasn't the way that we wanted to end it, just glad that we were able to do it together and kind of start the dynasty of Indiana as it moves forward. I'm looking forward to watching it, but it really hasn't set in for me that this was it for me in college. But it definitely hurts."
On what Notre Dame was doing defensively that led to Indiana's lack of execution...
Rourke: "I just didn't play in in rhythm myself. My eyes weren't in the best spot sometimes, and it's easy to play when you're in rhythm. I didn't help myself in that way. Notre Dame definitely got some great players and schemed well, but I felt like I hurt the offense more than they stopped us."
On what he'll remember most about this team and how fans should remember the team...
Katic: "I'm gonna remember this team as the closest team that I've ever been a part of. Just a group of guys that came to work every day and left everything out there and I'm so happy that I could have been a part of it, so happy I made the decision to come back. I think fans and everyone should see what we did this year. We changed the trajectory of Indiana football. We changed the way people think about Indiana football, and I'm just so happy that I could have been a part of it. I'm so thankful to all these guys and all my teammates and coaches that - it's just awesome to be a part of, and I'm so happy and and blessed."