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Newsstand: Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard named Manning Award Star of the Week

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•10/16/24•

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riley leonard on3 fp stanford
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. (Michael Clubb, South Bend Tribune, USA TODAY Sports)

The weekly honors keep coming for senior Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, who has improved every game since the Irish lost to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7. Leonard was named one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week for his performance in a Week 7 win over Stanford.

The Manning Award, sponsored by the Sugar Bowl, goes to top quarterback in college football at the end of the season. It also gives the Manning Quarterback of the Week award to the best signal-caller on a weekly basis. Leonard is one of eight candidates, alongside Illinois’ Luke Altmeyer, Louisiana Tech’s Evan Bullock, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Texas State’s Jordan McCloud, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Rice’s E.J. Warner.

“Leonard, who only played three quarters, recorded his fourth straight game with three or more touchdowns as he led the Fighting Irish to a 49-7 win over Stanford,” the Sugar Bowl wrote.

Fans vote among the eight candidates for Quarterback of the Week, and Leonard is on track to win. As of 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Duke transfer held a commanding lead with 54 percent of the vote. Nussmeier was in second place with 37 percent.

The winner will likely be announced Wednesday.

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Can’t blitz Leonard.

Happy anniversary.

Aneyas Williams is going to be a good one for Notre Dame.

Quote of the day

“I do. I think really, over the course of the last couple weeks, three weeks, like we’ve been talking about, where we’ve kind of seen it coming, seen it kind of developing. And then, boom. I think the most rewarding thing for me is we’ve been really demanding with them, making sure that they earn the opportunity to get better by the work that they do on the practice field. And then to watch them be rewarded for that in a game in that beautiful stadium across the street, it just makes me feel full. You know what I mean — for them. And I’m so happy for [Riley Leonard], because they did exactly what we asked them to do, and they got rewarded for it.  

“So, now the challenge for them, for me, is: All right, we know the formula. So, are we still starving or are we full? Are we still hungry to go back to work? And they did that today. I was really, really happy with the way they practiced today. So, to me, it’s like this should be a continual improvement deal all the way through the end of the season, and that’s what we’re going to work really hard to make sure it happens.” 

— Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock on if he believes the Irish offense is on the verge of executing well no matter the game plan and opponent

Headlines of the day

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