The Duke Blue Devils may not be included among the 12-team College Football Playoff field, but a recent star from the program kept his national title hopes alive on Friday night.
[autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag], who transferred from Duke to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this offseason, helped his new team defeat the Indiana Hoosiers, 27-17, in front of a home crowd. The former Blue Devil completed 21 of his 32 passes for 201 yards, throwing an early interception but equalizing it with a touchdown pass in the second quarter. He added 30 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
The Fighting Irish lost to Northern Illinois in stunning fashion back in Week 2, but Notre Dame has now won 11 straight games to reach the final eight. Despite the national success, however, Leonard’s numbers don’t look particularly different from his breakout 2022 campaign in Durham. He racked up 3,666 yards of offense and 33 touchdowns that season, a slight uptick from his 3,044 yards and 32 scores with the Irish.
Notre Dame will face the Georgia Bulldogs, winners of two of the last three national championships, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1 for a place in the semifinals.