Tag: Riley Leonard

Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard accepts invite to prestigious postseason game

Leonard’s college career won’t end with the Irish

When Notre Dame football quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] takes his final snap for the Irish later this season, it will not be his last as a collegiate player.

The senior accepted an invitation to the [autotag]Reese’s Senior Bowl[/autotag] on Thursday, giving him an opportunity to to impress NFL teams in attendance for the whole week of practice leading up to the game.

We saw a similar instance last season. Sam Hartman was also invited to the game. While he went undrafted, he signed a contract with the Washington Commanders. Leonard might not end up taking that same path. It appears he should get drafted by team.

The invite will be a great opportunity for Leonard to improve his draft stock in Mobile, Alabama, and show teams he can handle the intricacies of an NFL offense.

Nov. 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) leaves the field following a 52-3 victory over the Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Stadium. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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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 — Jadarian Price has a double at Yankee Stadium

Jadarian Price is on the board for the second time.

Notre Dame running back [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] has some competition from his backfield mate [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag]. While Love has three touchdowns for the No. Fighting Irish against the No. 18 Army Black Knights, Price has two.

His second was a 10-yard run that appeared to be stuffed initially before Price worked his way loose and bounced it outside. The score finished off an 8-play, 57-yard drive that took 3:33 off the clock and ended with 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Backup quarterback [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] helmed the drive with starter [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] resting since the game is well in hand for the Irish.

Notre Dame’s dominates Florida State, extending its winning streak
Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price (24) scores a touchdown during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend.

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Notre Dame vs. Army: Third-Quarter Analysis

All academic from here.

Notre Dame has gone up big against another opponent with little if any chance for a comeback. This time, the victim is Army, which finds itself trailing the Irish, 42-7, after three quarters.

The Irish immediately set the tone for the quarter when [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] ran for a 68-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. That likely broke any real hope the Knights had of keeping their perfect season alive.

On their first two possessions of the quarter, the Knights picked up a first down only to turn the ball over on downs right after. Only once did they run a pass play, which is typical for a service academy program.

After that second turnover on downs, [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] replaced [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] at quarterback and conducted a pass-heavy drive. But it was a 10-yard touchdown run by [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag], his second score of the game, that ended Angeli’s first drive.

It wasn’t all good news for the Irish though. [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] now has been unsuccessful on two field-goal attempts after a 30-yard kick was blocked. That issue might be magnified later on, but for now, the Irish can enjoy playing these final 15 minutes.

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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 13 highlight — Jeremiyah Love leaps it in

Jeremiyah Love leaps his way across the goal line in New York.

Call it the Love Leap.

Notre Dame running back [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] leaped his way into the end zone for the No. 6 Fighting Irish against the No. 18 Army Black Knights. Love caught a swing pass from quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] for a 6-yard touchdown reception.

That ended a 3-play, 7-yard scoring drive that was set up when the Irish blocked an Army punt.

Unfortunately, it’s scored as a receiving touchdown, so the score does not extend Love’s streak of consecutive games with a rushing touchdown to 11.

Nov 16, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame vs. Army: First-Quarter Analysis

So far, so good for the Irish.

So far, Notre Dame is off to the start every one of its fans was hoping for in this Shamrock Series game against Army. All you really have to know is that the Irish have a 14-0 lead, but let’s go into specifics anyway because every unit contributed in the first 15 minutes.

The Irish’s defense started out fine by forcing a Black Knights three-and-out. Then, the offense took over, and [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] needed a little over two minutes to lead a drive that consisted of nothing but positive plays and ended with him throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag].

The Knights then went three-and-out again, but the ball never left their side of the field because [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] blocked the ensuing punt, and it was recovered by [autotag]Christian Gray[/autotag] to set the Irish up at first-and-goal. After two runs didn’t go very far, Leonard threw to [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] for a 6-yard touchdown.

The Knights had better success on their next possession, getting into Irish territory and being aided by an offside penalty by [autotag]Jaylen Sneed[/autotag] on fourth-and-1. When the quarter ended, they were in the red zone. We’ll see how much that makes a difference in this game later on.

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Notre Dame Week 13 highlight — Riley Leonard connects with Jordan Faison

Riley Leonard, Jordan Faison get it started for Notre Dame.

No. 6 Notre Dame has gotten off to a strong start against No. 18 Army at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

After forcing the Black Knights to go three-and-out on the opening drive of the game, the Fighting Irish moved the ball effectively down the field on the strength of a run/pass mix and a couple of nice scampers by running back [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag].

The Irish then capped things off when quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] found wide receiver [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] for a 29-yard touchdown pass.

Leonard was 3-for-3 passing on the drive, which was 5 plays, 68 yards and took 2:17 off the clock. The touchdown was scored with 10:24 remaining in the first quarter.

Marcus Freeman updates wide receiver Jordan Faison’s injury status
Notre Dame wide receivers Logan Saldate (19) and Jordan Faison (6) stretch before a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in South Bend.

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Tale of the Tape: Notre Dame offense vs. Army defense

The Irish have their work cut out for them on this side of the ball.

A common criticism by Notre Dame fans this season is that their team’s offense isn’t up to snuff with the best in college football. While the numbers don’t necessarily support that theory, at least when it comes to running and scoring, Irish fans have pushed it all the same.

Fans particularly have criticized [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] for acting more like a running back than the gun-slinging quarterback they so desire. Never mind that Leonard has played very well lately.

If the Irish are to be exposed as a run-first offense, Army might be the opponent to do just that. The Knights are highly ranked in most defensive categories and even tied with Ohio State with the fewest points surrendered in the country.

Granted, the Knights haven’t played a ranked opponent all season, and the Irish will break that streak. Still, it’s something the Irish will need to keep an eye on as they prepare for this game.

Here’s how the Irish’s offense compares to the Knights’ defense nationally:

Notre Dame vs. Virginia: Third-Quarter Analysis

It’s all academic from here.

(This story has been updated with a new photo.)

Based on how dominant Notre Dame was in the first half against Virginia, it was somewhat understandable if they chose to relax. That was evidenced by the fact that the first drive of the second half ended with [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] throwing an interception. But the third quarter still ended with a 35-7 Irish lead.

The Cavaliers opted to replace Anthony Colandrea with backup quarterback Tony Muskett, whose first series was a three-and-out. [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] then had a 76-yard touchdown run on the Irish’s next drive. However, Muskett responded with an 18-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 to get the Cavaliers on the scoreboard. Both scoring drives last less than two minutes.

When the third quarter ran out, the Irish were on the verge of putting more points on the scoreboard with a third-and-goal. With a huge lead though, they were in no hurry to find the end zone again. It seems inevitable though.

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