Riley Leonard was nowhere near good enough against Northern Illinois. There is no debating that. The senior quarterback completed 20 of 32 passes for a mere 163 yards and no touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions, including a backbreaker in the middle of the fourth quarter that set up NIU’s game-winning field goal drive.
The exasperated Notre Dame home crowd, a fanbase not known for its patience, was not happy with Leonard and the team. The fans booed the Irish off the field at halftime and took to social media after the game calling for Leonard to be benched. They cited the Duke transfer’s inaccuracy and failure to throw a single touchdown pass in his first two games. With a proven backup in junior Steve Angeli sitting on the sidelines, why should the Irish ride with Leonard? As easy as it is to mount a case against Leonard after the way he started the season, the decision to bench him would do more harm than good.
Head coach Marcus Freeman brought in Riley Leonard from the transfer portal to lead his offense. On the field, his rushing capability translated well into new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s playbook. In his final year at LSU, Denbrock called the best offense in the country utilizing the explosiveness of Jayden Daniels, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy that season. While Leonard has not produced near the level of Daniels, he managed 352 rushing yards and four touchdowns in only seven games with Duke. The season before, he finished with 636 yards and 11 touchdowns.
There have always been accuracy questions with Leonard, but it was the potential threat of his legs that enticed the Irish coaching staff. Against Purdue, despite throwing for only 112 yards once again without a touchdown pass, he dominated the game with his legs, rushing for 100 yards and three scores. That’s not to say that blowing out Purdue is something to call home about, but it reflects the key to this offense reaching its ceiling.
While Angeli has played well in limited time, leading Notre Dame to a Sun Bowl victory last season, he could not have done what Leonard did that game. For an offense built around Leonard’s dual-threat ability, inserting Angeli does not make sense, especially this early in the season. He puts a cap on this team’s ceiling while Leonard propels it.
The responsibility of captain is not taken lightly. While Notre Dame named four on the defensive side of the ball, only one was named on the offense. That was Leonard. The transfer was brought in for his talent, but also to be a leader for this team in the locker room. His gutsy, game-winning drive in College Station against Texas A&M exemplifies his intangible impact. He took an offense that had struggled all night down the field when his team needed it most. As devastating as the loss to NIU was, this season would have a far different outlook if it led to 0-2 rather than 1-1. Thanks to Leonard’s heroics that game, the Irish still have life this season. That is the kind of performance that validates the work he had put in during the offseason not only on the field, but off of it as well. Sidelined for most of camp with an ankle injury, Leonard emphasized the importance of setting the culture and earning respect. When he finally got the opportunity to prove himself in Week One, he took it. That is not something the rest of the team will just forget. They want to play for their captain.
For the remainder of this season, Notre Dame has no margin for error. Every game has playoff implications. There is far too much on the line for a drastic change at the quarterback position. Riley Leonard provides a unique element to this Irish offense as a runner, one that is irreplaceable. But beyond what shows up on the stat sheet, the Duke transfer has the respect of the locker room. His toughness in the face of struggles on the field and a number of injuries reflects his character. So I urge Irish fans not to press the panic button quite yet. The season is still alive, and Leonard is still the answer.
