Pete Thamel: Riley Leonard injury not considered season-ending

The Duke Blue Devils were dealt a devastating dose of heartbreak on Saturday night against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, losing in the final minute, 21-14. The Blue Devils not only lost the game in gut-wrenching fashion, but their star quarterback, Riley Leonard was injured on one of the final plays of the game.

Luckily for Duke fans, the early read on Leonard’s injury is that it’s not season-ending. He has a high right ankle sprain and a realistic chance of returning later in the month of October, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Leonard’s one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC and one of the best signal-callers in all of college football. They’ll certainly miss him until he returns, as he’s been a critical ingredient for the program’s rise the past two years.

Leonard refused a cart to the locker room once he came out of the medical tent and was seen on crutches. He could not put any weight on his right leg. The Duke star finished the game with over 200 all-purpose yards, with 88 of those coming on the ground. He also tossed in one touchdown pass and one interception.

On the play he was injured, Leonard fumbled the ball and Notre Dame recovered, sealing the victory for the Irish. Notre Dame’s Howard Cross forced the strip sack that won the game.

Jacob Monk reveals his message to Riley Leonard after the game

Jacob Monk will have Riley Leonard‘s back on and off the field. On Saturday, the Duke QB went down with his injury on the final play of Duke’s 21-14 loss to Notre Dame. After the game, Monk revealed his message to Leonard.

“Letting him know, I’m always there for him,” Monk said. “I slipped up on the last play of the game and let up a sack. You win some, you lose some, but I feel like as a captain, I can’t let that happen. I just let him know I’m here for him always.”

Leonard’s injury was the conclusion to a subpar performance from the Duke standout. In the loss, Leonard completed just 12-of-his-27 passes for 134 yards and touchdown while also throwing an interception.

Leonard went out like a hero. With Duke down 21-14 and less than 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Leonard scrambled in the pocket, frantically looking for a game-saving bomb. Before the human cannon could let loose, ND’s Howard Cross mauled Leonard from behind, forcing a fumble.

On3’s Grant Grubbs also contributed to this article.