Tag: Leonard Moore

Notre Dame statistical leaders through 11 games

Who leads the Irish heading into the final regular-season contest?

Notre Dame has its fate in its own hands for the College Football Playoff. All it needs to do is defeat USC, and a first-round game at Notre Dame Stadium appears to be a certainty. Who would have thought the Irish would be in such a good position after the loss to Northern Illinois threatened to derail their season early?

The Irish can’t afford to get complacent though. The Trojans have not had a great season, but dealing the Irish a loss that could threaten their playoff chances would make up for everything that has gone wrong for them. That’s why the Irish will need to prepare for them like they would for any ranked team, and the talent they have should allow them to emerge victorious.

Here are the major statistical leaders the Irish are taking into their regular-season finale. Not all of them will be available, but they’re fun to see nonetheless:

Notre Dame Week 13 highlight — Forced fumble before half kills Army drive

A fumble before halftime sums up Army’s night against Notre Dame so far.

After No. 6 Notre Dame punched the ball into the end zone late in the first half against No. 18 Army, courtesy of running back [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag], the Black Knights did have a chance to mount a scoring drive before halftime.

The Fighting Irish prevented that from happening, however, when cornerback [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag] forced Army quarterback [autotag]Bryson Daily[/autotag] to fumble. Notre Dame linebacker [autotag]Jack Kiser[/autotag] recovered.

The Irish failed to capitalize, however, when kicker [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] pushed a 48-yard field-goal attempt wide right. Jeter has been dealing with a groin injury.

Jack Kiser is now the longest-tenured Irish player.
Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser (24) lines up during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend.

Notre Dame vs. Army: Second-Quarter Analysis

The Irish have the lead halfway through.

Notre Dame’s defense did itself no favors at the beginning of the second quarter against Army. If one had told that unit the Irish would be up, xx-7, at halftime, they have might considered themselves lucky.

With the Knights near the end zone on third-and-short, [autotag]Rylie Mills[/autotag] was penalized for hands to the face, which gave Bryson Daily the fresh set of downs he needed to run for a 4-yard touchdown and get his team on the board.

[autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] led an impressive offensive drive that began at the Irish’s 25-yard line and mainly consisted of run plays. The Irish ultimately got to the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal, but [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] lost a yard on a carry, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Backed up by their own end zone, the Knights went three-and-out for the third time in four drives. James Wagenseller’s punt only went for 32 yards, and Love carried the ball 41 yards over three plays for his second touchdown of the game.

Another Knights three-and-out followed, and Wagenseller’s ensuing punt went to midfield. After Leonard completed a 28-yard pass to [autotag]Kris Mitchell[/autotag], the Irish went with runs the rest of the drive, including one by Leonard that went for 13 yards and set the Irish up at first-and-goal. Leonard failed to score on two straight runs before handing it off to [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] for a 2-yard touchdown.

Daily ran the ball 20 yards on the Knights’ first play from scrimmage, but [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag] forced a fumble, which was recovered by [autotag]Jack Kiser[/autotag]. The Irish tried to add onto their lead right before halftime, but after a false start penalty, [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt as the clock hit zero.

Things are looking good for the Irish, but there’s half the game left.

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Notre Dame Week 12 highlight: Mitchell Evans jumps it in

Notre Dame’s Mitchell Evans cashed in a turnover.

No. 8 Notre Dame spent the end of the first half taking the ball away from the Virginia Cavaliers, and the Fighting Irish also scored off of those turnovers.

After [autotag]Leonard Moore [/autotag] took the ball away from Virginia, tight [autotag]Mitchell Evans[/autotag] caught a pass from Notre Dame quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] and dove into the end zone for a 16-yard score.

That capped a 3-play, 32-yard drive that took 34 seconds off the clock.

The touchdown gave the Irish a 28-0 lead late in the second quarter.

Nov 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Mitchell Evans (88) scores a touchdown against Florida State Seminoles linebacker Omar Graham Jr. (9) in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Week 12 highlight: Leonard Moore takes it away

Notre Dame continues to take the ball away against Virginia. The thief this time? Leonard Moore.

No. 8 Notre Dame feasted off of Virginia turnovers in the first half as the Fighting Irish host the Cavaliers.

Add freshman cornerback [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag] to the list of ball thieves after he picked off an Anthony Colandrea pass with 1:35 left in the first half.

Moore made an athletic play, juggling a batted ball and bringing it in for the interception.

After a slow start to the game for both offenses, the Notre Dame offense has taken advantage of the turnovers caused by the Irish defense.

Notre Dame drops two spots in the AP Top 25 -- without even playing.
Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Leonard Moore (15) intercepts a pass intended for Navy Midshipmen running back Eli Heidenreich (22) in front of linebacker Jack Kiser (24) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame vs. Virginia: Second-Quarter Analysis

This quarter lasted over an hour and was quite crazy.

If you were hoping for more action between Notre Dame and Virginia in the second quarter, you would have gotten some. In a quarter that lasted over an hour in real time, the Irish had one crazy moment after another, and it ended with them holding a 28-0 halftime lead.

Both teams continued to struggle offensively for the first few minutes. After [autotag]Max Hurleman[/autotag] muffed a punt and the Cavaliers recovered, the Irish’s 7-0 lead appeared to be in jeopardy. But the Irish took the ball right back a few plays later when [autotag]Rod Heard II[/autotag] forced a Kobe Pace fumble that was recovered by [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag].

The difference between the two turnovers is that the Irish took advantage. Their offense had its most productive drive of the day, and it culminated when [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] hit [autotag]Jayden Harrison[/autotag] for an 8-yard touchdown.

On the next possession, Leonard fired another apparent touchdown pass to Harrison from 78 yards out, but it was wiped out when [autotag]Pat Coogan[/autotag] was penalized for illegal hands to the face.

Another apparent touchdown then was wiped out after a very confusing sequence. Faced with fourth-and-11, the Irish opted to fake a punt and try a fumblerooski, and [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] ran the ball 73 yards to the house. However, the officials called it back for illegal formation, much to the chagrin of the Notre Dame Stadium fans and the NBC announcers.

But that touchdown was dying to be scored, and it finally was after [autotag]Adon Shuler[/autotag] returned an interception 46 yards and Leonard immediately faked a handoff before firing to an open [autotag]Cooper Flanagan[/autotag] in the end zone from 2 yards out.

The Irish weren’t finished though. Anthony Colandrea threw another interception, this one to [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag]. On the final of three subsequent passes, [autotag]Mitchell Evans[/autotag] had a 16-yard touchdown.

Colandrea kept feeling generous though because Watts picked off another one of his passes in the waning seconds of the quarter. Although [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] missed a 54-yard field goal as time expired, the Irish still deserved a rest in the locker room after everything that had just happened.

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Is Loghan Thomas playing today? Injury updates for Notre Dame defensive lineman

Notre Dame defensive lineman Loghan Thomas is dealing with a right hamstring injury. Here are the latest updates.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Loghan Thomas[/autotag] is out for the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish tonight against the Florida State Seminoles.

The freshman is sidelined with a right hamstring injury.

Notre Dame has listed all other student-athletes on the two-deep roster as available. That makes us wonder if kicker [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] is finally ready to play as he deals with a hip injury.

The Fighting Irish also return freshman cornerback Tae Johnson as the backup to [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag]. [autotag]Karon Hobbs[/autotag], who was in that spot last week, is now the backup nickel corner to [autotag]Jordan Clark[/autotag].

Otherwise, the Irish are getting healthier, though key players such as [autotag]Jordan Botelho[/autotag] are out for the season.

Notre Dame injury update

Notre Dame will be without Loghan Thomas this week, and [autotag]Jason Onye[/autotag] remains out for personal reasons.

How long will Loghan Thomas be out?

It is unclear how long Thomas will be out beyond this week.

Notre Dame defensive lineman depth chart

Thomas’ loss will be felt, but the Irish still have a deep defensive line. Thomas was already listed at third on the depth chart for the Vyper pass-rushing position behind [autotag]Joshua Burnham[/autotag] and [autotag]Junior Tuihalamaka[/autotag].

Marcus Freeman updates Mitch Jeter, Tae Johnson & more injuries
Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) is hit as he throws by Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Loghan Thomas (10) in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore named as a top freshman performer of Week 9

Moore has had a fantastic freshman season

Notre Dame football has had some amazing depth at the cornerback position over the last few years, and it looks that that won’t be ending anytime soon.

When star cornerback Benjamin Morrison was ruled out the remainder of the season with an injury, head coach Marcus Freeman named [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag] as a player that was going to have to step up.

Not only has he done that, he’s done it at an extremely high level. When Pro Football Focus looked back at the graded for true freshman during Week 9, Moore was named as one of its top performers.

It wasn’t due to his tackling numbers, more his coverage, as he was credited with just one tackle against Navy, but did have an interception. In limited time this fall, Moore has been a surprisingly great player in the Irish secondary, as his future is extremely bright.

Leonard Moore comes up big against Navy.
Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore catches a ball during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in South Bend.

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Notre Dame Week 9 highlight: Leonard Moore intercepts one in the end zone

Notre Dame gets a big interception from Leonard Moore.

Notre Dame is starting to really put its matchup with No. 24 Navy away, thanks to Leonard Moore.

The No. 12 Fighting Irish killed a Navy drive when Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath threw towards the end zone on fourth down and 7 from the Notre Dame 17.

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore was able to snag the ball for a touchback.

The Fighting Irish are keeping their playoff argument strong for yet another week, while the previously undefeated Midshipmen are probably going to drop out of the rankings.

Louisville wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks (1) catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown with Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore (15) defending during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend.

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Social media reacts to Notre Dame scoring three first-quarter touchdowns

Try and keep up with this.

(This story was updated to correct a typo).

Notre Dame had as bad a start as it could against Louisville, fumbling the opening kickoff and giving up an early touchdown. Many fans had to think this was the beginning of a long day in South Bend. Fortunately, the Irish showed they aren’t going to give up that easily.

When the Irish’s offense finally did take the field, it came out looking ready to play. Led by [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag], the Irish ran an equal amount of runs and passes, moving the ball almost every time. It culminated in a 6-yard touchdown run by [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] that tied the game at 7.

The game didn’t stay tied for long though. After the Cardinals got the ball back, they appeared to get an opening when Tyler Shough ran 46 yards into the Irish territory. However, [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag] knocked the ball out of his hand, and [autotag]Jaiden Ausberry[/autotag] pounced on the fumble.

The Irish took advantage of that when Leonard hit [autotag]Jaden Greathouse[/autotag] for a 34-yard touchdown, giving them their first lead.

Then, the Irish knocked the ball further down field on a botched punt snap, setting themselves up only 4 yards from the goal line. Leonard immediately punched the ball in to give the Irish a 21-7 lead.

If you somehow have kept up with all of that to this point, here are some of the reactions we found on social media regarding that action-packed first quarter: