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SOUTH BEND — Even as Riley Leonard struggled with accuracy against Northern Illinois’ underrated pass defense, Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman never wavered.
Asked Monday if he ever considered lifting his struggling quarterback in favor of backup Steve Angeli, Freeman shook his head.
“There was no consideration of that,” he said. “We have a lot of belief in Riley and him running our offense. That’s not a shot at Steve. We have a lot of faith in Steve, too, but there was no consideration of that.”
Freeman did not directly answer the part of the question about whether Leonard has been playing through any physical issues. Team trainers came out to check on the senior transfer from Duke late in the first half.
As he was sacked by Huskies defensive tackle Devonte O’Malley, Leonard spun awkwardly and flung a backwards pass for a 14-yard loss. Leonard lay prone for several seconds and seemed to favor his left arm after he clambered to his feet.
Coming off three foot/ankle surgeries since his final Duke appearance last October, Leonard downplayed suggestions he might have been limited in the loss. After carrying five times for 33 yards and a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, Leonard carried just six more times, including a pair of sacks.
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“No, I don’t think I was limited,” he said Saturday. “Just kind of how the game worked out. I was feeling just fine the rest of the game.”
Held without a touchdown pass through two games, Leonard has the Irish tied for 110th nationally with 18.5 points per game. Their passing efficiency ranks 130th, ahead of only Akron, New Mexico State, Wyoming and Air Force.
At 5.1 yards per attempt, those four (plus South Florida and Florida Atlantic) are the only…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/vote-confidence-marcus-freeman-believes-010219435.html
Author : South Bend Tribune
Publish date : 2024-09-10 01:02:19
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