After Thursday’s 23-10 win over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish only need two more wins for the school’s first national championship since 1988.
Leonard, who transferred from the Blue Devils to South Bend ahead of the 2024 season, completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown in the national quarterfinal triumph. He also rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries.
The Irish won 11 games during the regular season, including each of their last 10, and Leonard amassed 231 yards of total offense in the opening-round College Football Playoff game against Indiana.
Leonard spent three years with the Blue Devils before changing teams, emerging on the national stage as a sophomore back in 2022. He threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns that season, adding 699 yards and 13 scores with his legs to lead Duke to a 9-4 record and a Military Bowl victory.
The Blue Devils won their first four games by 114 combined points with Leonard in 2023, but he suffered an ankle injury against the Irish in Week 5 and only threw 39 passes the rest of the season.
Leonard and the Irish play the Penn State Nittany Lions for a place in the national title game on January 9.