Riley Leonard on his Notre Dame debut: 'This place is something every kid dreams of'

Riley Leonard was far from perfect in his debut as the Notre Dame quarterback on Saturday against Texas A&M, but he got the job done. The Fighting Irish QB finished 18-of-30 passing for 158 yards and no touchdowns, though he also threw no interceptions.

Most importantly, he showed up in crunch time when Notre Dame needed him most in the fourth quarter. Leonard completed both of his passes and rushed for 20 yards before Jeremiyah Love broke free for the 21-yard touchdown run.

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That put the Fighting Irish up 20-13, and they would ultimately never fall behind again on their way to victory. Their offensive line managed to limit the Aggies to zero sacks on the day and also paved the way for 5.8 yard per carry.

“That’s a great D-line we faced today,” Freeman said. “Probably one of the toughest we’ll see all year. I’m proud of those young guys, man. I think we have six starts combined in those starting five. They got baptized today versus a really good D-line, but I’m proud of them. They’re gonna continue to get better on offense, defense and special teams. It’s something special.”

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Leonard took a while to get going, but certainly showed his ability to deliver in clutch time. He came through with a nine-yard rush for a first down on the opening play of the Fighting Irish’s touchdown drive. Then later scrambled for 11 yards on the first down.

It wasn’t always that easy, as Leonard admitted to getting off to a slow start. However, when it came time for him to deliver, he did just that.

“I kind of just settled in,” he said. “It only took me three quarters to do so, but I settled in and started making my right reads. Like coach said, you gotta put your body on the line sometimes for your boys. We were able to get that done and one drive is all it takes.”

It was of course a rowdy environment in College Station with the 12th Man in full effect. Leonard acknowledged the opportunity to face that challenge, and was thankful to come out victorious.

“Unreal crowd. This place is something every kid dreams of,” he said. “You just look up and you can’t even see the end of the stands. It’s an incredible place to be and God bless this football team. I can’t even put into words right now. These guys worked their tail off and I know I’m the one in the mic right now, but if anybody won the game, I shouldn’t be. Credit to those guys. They played great.”

Riley Leonard and Notre Dame will move on to face Northern Illinois next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.