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Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) looks to pass the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Riley Leonard’s 2024 season was something of a comeback tour from start to finish.
He was a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate in his time at Duke, later faltering due to injury and falling off the radar because of the way those issues affected his play.
There were high expectations surrounding how Leonard could elevate the Fighting Irish offense instantly, but that did not happen immediately as his inconsistent play in September caused many fans to call for him to be benched.
But he’s come a long way since all of that and the upset loss to NIU, and it culminated with a national title game appearance against Ohio State.
Notre Dame came up short, 34-23, but the offense hardly could have had a chance without Leonard’s running ability and some of the clutch plays he made through the air.
And his impact was immediately felt.
Leonard carried the ball twice on the team’s first set of downs, giving the team its first first down of the night.
It was Leonard who gave the Fighting Irish their first touchdown of the evening on a one-yard, walk-in score after the Buckeyes had no answer for him on the ground.
Within the first drive of the game alone, Leonard had garnered two first downs with his legs in a fourth-down situation. He finished it out with 34 rushing yards and one touchdown on nine carries.
The second possession held a bit more sputtering for the offense and for Leonard, though.
He has one badly overthrown pass early on in the second drive of the game, but he redeemed himself with a remarkable throw on the run to Beaux Collins on what looked like…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/riley-leonard-put-valiant-effort-135945075.html
Author : Draft Wire
Publish date : 2025-01-22 13:59:00
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