Unexpected Underdogs Poised to Shake Up College Football Playoff First Round: Who Will Defy the Odds?
You can see the concern here. Notre Dame has one of the most ferocious defenses in the country and does a stout job against the run. The Irish love to load the defensive box and held teams to a 35.7% rushing success rate (38.6% national average). One of Notre Dame’s key interior defenders, Howard Cross, was out at the end of the regular season but looks poised to play on Friday. If you’re looking for Indiana to get yards on the ground, you may be looking for a long time.
That doesn’t mean Indiana doesn’t have a path. The Hoosiers have an excellent run defense themselves and were fourth in the country in yards allowed per called run play (3.5), holding up well in that department in their Michigan and Ohio State games. The Hoosiers also get lots of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and Notre Dame (which has been missing its starting left tackle all season) has had frequent issues protecting Riley Leonard.

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