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QB Riley Leonard hurt on final play of scrimmage for Duke offense in loss to Notre Dame

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•09/30/23•

AndrewEdGraham

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Ex-Duke quarterback Riley Leonard. (Photo by Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports)

Duke quarterback Riley Leonard was helped off the field and was putting little to no weight on his right leg after injuring it on the Blue Devils’ final offensive play of the night. Leonard injured his lower right leg in a scrum after being hit and fumbling as Duke tried to come back and tie the Irish with less than a minute left.

Leonard stayed down for a period, appearing to be in significant pain. He was helped off by multiple trainers and taken to the sideline after Notre Dame recovered a fumble to seal a 21-14 win.

Leonard stayed in the injury tent on the sideline for a while after the game, exiting on crutches and not bearing weight on his right leg. He was greeted by Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman before heading to the locker room.

ESPN’s Andrea Adelson reported that Leonard turned down a cart to ride to the locker room.

“That kid’s a hell of a player, I really want to go check in on him,” Hartman said postgame to ABC’s Holly Rowe before going to the tent.

Leonard is just the latest injury for Duke

Duke was without on of its best offensive players on Saturday night when the Blue Devils hosted Notre Dame. His absence was reported shortly before kickoff.

Barton, outside of perhaps Leonard, is Duke’s best offensive player. His absence was at times pronounced, especially against a Notre Dame defense that can rush the passer and stuff up the run at a high level.

Barton was a first team All-ACC selection in 2022 and earned several preseason All-American nods coming into 2023. He has 34 career starts and has appeared in 35.

Notre Dame was looking to turn the page on Saturday night

Notre Dame suffered a potentially gutting loss last Saturday night in primetime, but head coach Marcus Freeman isn’t worried about it leading to a hangover in another big-time game this Saturday night. And while Freeman knew Duke can give Notre Dame plenty of challenges, he’s excited to get out and try to clean the slate.

The Irish got some of the way there with a good week of practice, Freeman said. But nothing compares to washing out a bad taste from a loss with a key win.

“This is a motivated group, a mature group that chose hard this week. And that’s what we need them to do. But, you really can’t turn a page until you get out here and do it right now. They’re ready to go,” Freeman said to ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe.