COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Tied with Texas A&M late in the fourth quarter of his Notre Dame debut Saturday night, quarterback Riley Leonard had no doubt in his ability to lead the Fighting Irish to victory.
“Everybody had all the confidence in the world that we were going to be able to go down there and score,” he said. “It was just a matter of when.”
Leonard orchestrated an 8-play, 85-yard drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown run by Jeremiyah Love with 1:54 left and No. 7 Notre Dame beat No. 20 Texas A&M 23-13 in the opener for both teams.
Love burst through the line and shed two would-be tacklers before waltzing into the end zone to give the Fighting Irish the lead.
Leonard, who transferred to Notre Dame this offseason after three years at Duke, knows there are things his offense needs to clean up. But he’s proud of how they executed late to secure the win.
“We made (plays) when it counts,” he said.
He threw for 158 yards and added 63 yards rushing.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in a guy like Riley Leonard,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “At the end of the game, put the ball in his hands and he makes good decisions to lead this offense to victory.”
Since Leonard missed most of Notre Dame’s offseason work after undergoing two ankle surgeries, he focused on establishing himself as a leader in fall camp.
“I think it’s paid off and it’s only just beginning,” Leonard said. “This was an opportunity for me to prove to my teammates that not only can I lead them off the field, but I can lead them on the field as well when it really matters.”
Saturday’s game was a bit odd for Leonard as he faced Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, his coach the last two seasons at Duke. Leonard said Elko “got him” a few times with his clever third down packages.
“There’s just like that game within the game,” Leonard said. “It’s funny because we’re obviously playing Notre Dame vs. A&M, but there’s also a rivalry there, so to speak, with me and coach. It’s all love at the end of the day, but we’re both very competitive.”
Elko did not enjoy facing his former quarterback.
“It wasn’t fun,” he said. “I knew it wouldn’t be. He made a bunch of big‑time plays… made enough plays to win the football game. I told him I loved him after the game. I will be rooting for that kid for the rest of his life.”
Leonard has always taken pride in being a dual-threat quarterback. But some wondered if he’d run as much this season after injuries limited him to just seven games last season.
“The way I play the game, I won’t change that for anybody or anything or any injury,” he said. “It can’t stand in my way. So, I was able to use it to my benefit tonight and get after it with the legs a little bit.”
