Notre Dame has scored first against Northern Illinois, thanks to quarterback Riley Leonard’s legs.
Leonard scored the first touchdown of the Fighting Irish’s home opener to cap off a balanced, methodical drive. Even a holding penalty couldn’t stop the Irish from moving the ball. Leonard was 4-of-5 passing on the drive, but it was his running ability that gave the Irish the score on an 11-yard run with 8:28 remaining in the first quarter.
There was a brief delay as referees reviewed the scoring play to see if Leonard was down short of the end zone. He may have been, but there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call on the field, so the touchdown stood.
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