SOUTH BEND -- An early interception. A late-game scoring flurry. Two sacks in the span of two minutes.
Indiana football quarterback Kurtis Rourke saw it all in his final college game Friday, initially flailing against Notre Dame's stifling defense before recovering for two touchdowns in the game's final two minutes.
"I just didn't play in rhythm myself," Rourke said. "My eyes weren't in the best spot sometimes. It's easier to play when you're in rhythm. I didn't help myself in that way."
That lack of rhythm proved a defining struggle Saturday as IU fell 27-17 to Notre Dame in the first first-round College Football Playoff game.
Rourke, however, managed to turn one of his worst days at IU into a sharper ending. It marked the end of a storybook final season of college football for Rourke in which he took over Indiana's single-season completion percentage and touchdown record while recording the fourth 3,000-yard season in IU football history.
There were strong moments for Rourke and his offense at times. But nearly all were disjointed and fostered little momentum until the late-game charge.
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A dazzling 48-yard pass preceded Rourke's lone interception in the first quarter. The interception came when a defender made a nice effort on a tempo play, Rourke said, and he didn't need to make the throw.
The Hoosiers seemed shaken from there, as incompletions, puzzling passing decisions into coverage and inconsistencies with the run immediately followed strong passing. More time for Rourke in the pocket and chipping away on the ground paved the way for an IU field goal in the second quarter, but it was just that -- a field goal.
Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said he felt Rourke was making the right decisions once he settled into the game. It was Notre Dame's defense that proved challenging.
"I didn't think his decision-making was the issue at all," Shanahan said. "Again, they did a good job switching up their coverages. Just when we thought we had something, then they would change it up. And that was a cat-and-mouse game that we were playing."
The deficit, two scores or less through nearly three quarters, felt wider with each subsequent IU possession through most of the game. Running backs striding down the middle were met by a thicket of linemen. Passing opportunities proved hard to come by as Notre Dame's backfield flexed its strength, stifling receivers and making Rourke's life difficult. Rourke was heavily pressured to start the second half, getting sacked twice on the Hoosiers' opening drive.
Coach Curt Cignetti said Notre Dame's defense put pressure on them, winning the line of scrimmage and one-on-one matchups while swarming the ball.
But what started as one of Rourke's toughest showings of the season underwent a dramatic turnaround in the game's final minutes. He used time in the pocket to hit receivers with quick, precise passes -- including gains of 16 and 17 yards as the Hoosiers drove toward their first touchdown. Receivers emerged from coverage. Pressure in the trenches seemed to ease. The end zone was within reach.
The touchdowns couldn't surpass the headaches Notre Dame's defense caused that ultimately ended the Hoosiers' hopes of advancing to the Sugar Bowl. And Rourke, who spearheaded the charge in those final minutes, will still depart the program a hero.
"Although it wasn't the way we wanted to end it, (I'm) glad we were able to do it together and start the dynasty of Indiana as it moves forward," Rourke said. "I'm looking forward to watching it, but it really hasn't set in for me that this was it for me in college."