With the game tied late in the fourth quarter of his Notre Dame debut on Saturday night, quarterback Riley Leonard was confident he could guide the Fighting Irish to a win.
“Everyone was sure we could go down and score,” he said. “It was just a question of when.”
Leonard led an 8-play, 85-yard drive, finishing with a 21-yard touchdown run by Jeremiyah Love with 1:54 remaining, giving No. 7 Notre Dame a 23-13 win over No. 20 Texas A&M in their season opener.
Love broke through the line, avoided two tacklers, and ran into the end zone to put Notre Dame ahead.
Leonard, who joined Notre Dame this season after playing at Duke for three years, acknowledges there are areas for his offense to improve. Still, he’s pleased with how they performed when it mattered most.
“We made plays when it counted,” he said. He passed for 158 yards and rushed for 63 yards.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman praised Leonard, saying, “At the end of the game, put the ball in his hands and he makes good decisions to lead this offense to victory.”
Since Leonard missed much of Notre Dame’s offseason due to two ankle surgeries, he worked on proving himself as a leader during fall camp.
“I think it’s paid off and it’s just the beginning,” Leonard said. “This was a chance for me to show my teammates that I can lead them both off the field and on the field when it really matters.”
