ND NOTEBOOK: Freeman, staff have sculpted a showpiece that transfers continue to impact

Jan. 7—SOUTH BEND — Fresh off last week’s 23-10 Sugar Bowl victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, a bubbly Riley Leonard interjected himself into the postgame press conference.

As Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman explained his team’s execution of the fourth quarter 11-player fire-drill-like swap that caused an offsides penalty on the Georgia defense and awarded his team a key first down, the ND quarterback chimed in.

“Real quick, he’s being humble,” Leonard said. “That was completely his play. We were going to do it a different way like two days ago. And then he flipped it, and we executed it that way, and it worked. So, he’s being humble. I’ll say it for him. Great call, great execution.”

Leonard figuratively pointing the finger back at Freeman is just the latest game of pass-the-credit that Notre Dame’s football staff and roster has continued to play not just this postseason, but regular season as well — where the noise and interest in the Irish was far lesser.

Now Notre Dame is a win away from playing for a national championship and two victories away from bringing glory back to Indiana for the first time since 1988.

As spoken word of someone taking credit for this season’s success is rare around the Irish Athletics Center, actions on the football field is where it can be found.

In the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, it was the faces that most recently became accustomed to life in northern Indiana that stepped up.

Leonard, a transfer from Duke, won Sugar Bowl MVP while throwing for just 90 yards. Despite his short passing yardage, his nine-yard scramble on 3rd-and-7 at the Irish 27-yard line resulted in the spinning, head-first, body-sacrificing fall to pick up a crucial first down with only a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Leonard’s 13-yard touchdown throw to Clemson-transfer Beaux Collins to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nd-notebook-freeman-staff-sculpted-031600404.html

Author : Goshen News, Ind.

Publish date : 2025-01-08 03:16:00

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