Notre Dame football didn't clinch a College Football Playoff berth without a little adversity. Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard, head coach Marcus Freeman and ND took one costly loss. Northern Illinois dismantled any unbeaten thoughts on Sept. 7.

That early NIU loss additionally disrupted playoff chatter for the Irish. The Huskies win left many fans wondering if the Irish would recover. Turns out a poignant message from Freeman was all it took to overcome the tough defeat in South Bend.

Leonard recalled the head coach's fiery but unforgettable words with Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports Wednesday. The starting quarterback stunningly admitted he became “thankful” for that heartbreaking 16-14 home loss. But so was Freeman.

“It’s hard for me to even say I’m thankful for it, but I am,” Leonard told Auerbach. “(Coach) said he was thankful for, in the previous years, similar losses, that they’ve (helped him grow) as a person. And I just sat there like, ‘Dude, there’s no way. There’s no way I’m ever going to say that.’ But here we are.”

Turns out the NIU loss became the best thing to happen to the playoff bound Irish. Leonard then shared the last inspiring message he sent to him and Notre Dame.

“It drove us the rest of the year. (Freeman) always said to ‘keep the pain’ before every game. He said, ‘Keep that pain, because you don’t want to have that feeling again,'” Leonard said.

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Riley Leonard shares how big Notre Dame vs. Indiana really is

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) reacts following the victory against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Leonard is now leading Notre Dame into the first-ever College Football Playoffs as the seventh seed. Standing in the way is one of the major surprises of the CFB season, the Indiana Hoosiers.

This is more than a football game, though, per the Irish quarterback Leonard's words. He's realizing how impactful the postseason pairing is for all of the Hoosier State.

“It’s huge for the state of Indiana — we’ve been talking about it becoming a football state,” Leonard said. “It’s notorious for basketball, for obvious reasons.”

Now, the two biggest universities in the state are going head-to-head — this time with both teams eyeing the College Football National Championship. The new tournament format brings new meaning to survive and advance on the football field. Leonard, Freeman, and the Irish know a loss destroys their title pursuit.

The Irish tangles with the Hoosiers in South Bend on Friday. The Notre Dame/Indiana winner takes on the No. 2 seed Georgia on New Year's Day.