Virginia vs. Notre Dame game balls
Another blowout win for Notre Dame, another terrific defensive performance, and another game ball for Irish quarterback Riley Leonard highlighted the 35-14 victory over Virginia on Saturday.
It marked the eighth straight win for the No. 8 Irish (9-1) and another step towards a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The latest blowout win provided plenty of game ball candidates.
Here are the three we settled on.
QB Riley Leonard
After spending most of this season showcasing his running talents more than his passing prowess, the senior Irish quarterback has flipped the script in recent weeks.
Against Virginia, Leonard did little on the ground, finishing with 32 yards on 8 carries.
But through the air, the Duke transfer completed a season-high 22 passes on 33 attempts for 214 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.
It marked the fourth time in the last 6 games that Leonard has thrown multiple touchdown passes in a game.
In fact, during those 6 games, Leonard has 11 touchdown passes and just 2 interceptions.
S Xavier Watts
Less than a week after being named a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award (given to the nation’s best overall player), the Irish senior validated his selection with 3 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup and 1 fumble recovery.
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The reigning Bronko Nagurski Award winner from last season as the nation’s best defensive player, Watts has been the rock on a Notre Dame defense that shines as one of the best in the nation, and as one of the best in program history.
Through the Virginia blowout, Watts leads all the Irish defensive backs and ranks third on the team with 37 tackles, and he leads the Irish with 4 interceptions and 8 pass break ups.
RB Jeremiyah Love
The sophomore tailback rushed for a career-high 137 yards on 16 carries and 2 touchdowns — his 11th and 12th scores of the season — and his second multi-touchdown performance in the last 3 games.
This was also Love’s third 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Love scored on a 4-yard rush in the first quarter and on a 76-yard jaunt in the third quarter.
Along the way, Love extended his streak to 10 straight games with a touchdown, making him only the fourth Irish tailback to ever reach that mark in program history.
Wayne Bullock (11), Jerome Bettis (10) and Autry Denson (10) are the other three.
