CFP FIRST ROUND: NOTRE DAME VS INDIANA

December 20, 2024

Jack Kiser

Notre Dame Stadium

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Postgame Press Conference

Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17

Q. Jack, your final game here at Notre Dame Stadium. What are the emotions right now?

JACK KISER: Yeah, when we were coming up the tunnel into the staircase, I kind of turned around and took one last look of what that scene is like, and I made sure Rylie Mills got that and Riley Leonard got that view, too. When we're singing the alma mater out there and just understanding how much people, one, love this university and what this university has done for me over a quarter of my life, it's pretty special to be in an environment like that and walk out of here satisfied and happy and ready to keep playing.

Q. What does it mean to get that first ever home playoff win for the University of Notre Dame?

JACK KISER: Yeah, I think you look at the state of the program right now, and it's the first of hopefully a lot more to come. This program is elevating, and I think that's evident in the buy-in in the university and the facilities, the recruiting, the coaching staff. So it's just a lot of excitement and to kind of be part of that first in program history is a big deal.

Q. You guys are one of a handful of teams now that gets to move on. How much confidence do you take into the next round?

JACK KISER: Yeah, I mean, all season it feels like every game has been one life, one game, one game, one life, just going in and making sure you're doing your process, you're going through everything, you're preparing the right way. It's not going to change. The last two weeks we've been preparing for Indiana but also knowing that we have to elevate as a program ourselves. We're competing when we're out there, going good-on-good, we're going against the offense, making sure -- that's not Indiana's true scheme, but we're still getting good reps in and just trying to get better.

So I don't think that changes just because the opponent changes or you're one step further in the playoffs. It's just that mentality that what's important now, it's the moment. It's the moment you're in. So that's kind of the mentality we're going to have going forward.

Q. Do you believe in momentum, and if so, do you think you guys have it right now?

JACK KISER: Yeah, I mean, I'll tell you what, when you walk on to that field and a snap hasn't even taken place yet and the crowd is going crazy, you're able to capture that momentum right off the bat. So that was a really awesome environment to be in. Hopefully that can be the standard here at Notre Dame for forever now. But that was truly an incredible environment to get to play in front of, so that was awesome.

Q. The two-play sequence there of Xavier's interception and Jeremiyah's 98 yards, how much does that help everyone take a deep breath and settle in after what felt like a chaotic first couple minutes of the game?

JACK KISER: I don't think it was necessarily chaotic at all. I think if you look around the sideline, no one was concerned or anything. Everybody just knew, we've got to do our job. I don't think it was too chaotic. But certainly big plays were made, and the momentum really shifts, and it is huge when you can get an interception in your red zone and then take one to the crib like J-Love did, so certainly that was a huge turning point in the game and something I don't think we looked back on.

Q. You won two state titles at Pioneer. Is this like a third?

JACK KISER: To be able to play Purdue early in the year and get a win against them, then Indiana, as an Indiana guy, that's a big deal. To feel like you own the state, that's pretty cool. Certainly an important win for me, that's for sure.