Riley Leonard addresses reports he was puking after opening drive

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard had nine carries on the opening drive of Monday’s national championship game against Ohio State. Leonard took some tough shots and got up limping a couple of times during the series.

He then reportedly was puking on the sideline after leading Notre Dame on the 18-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game.

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After the game, Riley Leonard was asked how he was feeling after the first drive and if he was just exhausted or had been sick.

“Uh, nah, I just landed on the ball funny a couple of times,” Riley Leonard said. “Wasn’t feeling sick. Felt fine. Just landed on the ball, felt a little awkward. No problem at all for me.”

Riley Leonard stayed in the game and played well, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 40 yards and a score. But it wasn’t enough as the Fighting Irish fell short, falling 34-23.

After having nine carries on the opening drive, Leonard had only eight the rest of the game. He was shown limping at different times throughout the game but stayed in, battled and gave his team a chance to win.

Marcus Freeman emphatically sums up Notre Dame’s ‘strong message’ to college football

The season did not end the way that Riley Leonard or anyone at Notre Dame hoped that it would, but it was without a doubt still a magical year for the Fighting Irish.

Following the loss to Ohio State in the national title game, Marcus Freeman shared with ESPN what his message was to his team.

“There’s not many words you can say when you’ve got a group like that that’s hurting,” he said. “I just told them I love them and I’m so proud to be a part of this season with them. There’s a lot of guys that are hurting, but they gave it everything they have.

“We didn’t get the job done tonight and we gotta figure out why. There’s reasons for it. But what they did for this school and this football program and, I think, for people that watch college football, I think they sent a strong message about being selfless, working your tails off and putting others before yourself.”