Kirk Herbstreit breaks down quarterback matchup between Riley Leonard, Kurtis Rourke

The Indiana Hoosiers will travel to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff of Friday evening, and Kirk Herbstreit is amped up for the quarterback battle.

Kurtis Rourke is leading the way for Indiana, and he’ll meet Riley Leonard of Notre Dame on the other side of the field. Ahead of the showdown, Herbstreit broke down what both players bring to the table, during an appearance on this week’s edition of Pardon My Take for Barstool Sports.

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“Let’s start Friday night. I think Riley Leonard, I don’t know if I trust him yet,” Herbstreit stated. “I don’t know how many times he’s really been challenged. So I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t trust him. It’s just we don’t know. Can Indiana put him in a place where they get him in those third down situations where he’s got to make plays with his arm, not just his legs, with his arm? I’m excited to see that.

“Rourke, I’ve been blown away by that kid. Their whole story. I was early like, ‘It’s Indiana, it’s a cute story.’ Then I just kept watching them and thought — I stood next to Rourke in the Ohio State game, I was like, ‘Damn, that’s an impressive looking dude.’ This guy is — I don’t know what he’s listed. He looks like he’s 6’5 to me. Big, impressive guy. I just think that kid plays with a serious amount of confidence for a guy that’s in his first year. I think of all of them, that might be a guy that stands out to me.”

Evidently, Herbstreit has a been a little more impressed with Rourke in 2024, as opposed to Leonard. The transfer quarterback for the Fighting Irish took a little time to get into the swing of things at Notre Dame, coming off an injury during his final season with Duke, but he did seem to figure things out by the end of the regular season.

On the other hand, it’s been all gas, no brakes for Rourke and the Hoosiers under Curt Cignetti. He was incredible in 2024, and even garnered some Heisman praise. Perhaps he could’ve elevated and became a finalists if a thumb injury didn’t hamper him over the last month of the season.

Regardless, Kirk Herbstreit recognizes both Kurtis Rourke and Riley Leonard are special talents, and Indiana at Notre Dame has the chance to set the College Football Playoff off with a bang. Kickoff is slated for 8:00 p.m. on Friday evening, and the world will be watching.