How much better should we feel about Riley Leonard following the Notre Dame blowout of Purdue?
One thing that Notre Dame fans were most anxious about was the Irish passing attack on Saturday against the Purdue Boilermakers. It has been a talking point all week about quarterback Riley Leonard, the passing attack, and the frustration around it. With Leonard working through an injury, there were a lot of questions about whether […]
One thing that Notre Dame fans were most anxious about was the Irish passing attack on Saturday against the Purdue Boilermakers. It has been a talking point all week about quarterback Riley Leonard, the passing attack, and the frustration around it.
With Leonard working through an injury, there were a lot of questions about whether we would even see the former Duke signal caller against the Boilermakers. Boy did we. Leonard played just the first half, completing 11 of 16 passes for 112 yards. He also led the team in that first half with 100 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries, averaging a staggering 9.1 yards per carry.
Notre Dame was leading the game 42-0 at halftime, which ended the day for Leonard. Steve Angeli entered the game and would carry the offense from there, with Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr getting some run later in the game. With that early exit, it presents an early chance to entertain the question: Should we feel better about Leonard and the growth we saw on Saturday?
Overall, I would say yes. Despite the lopsided score, Purdue does have several talented defensive players who have NFL upside, including safety Dillon Thieneman and defensive end Will Heldt. Even with them on the hunt, Leonard routinely made the Boilermaker defense look slow.
His legs were a big component of this rushing attack, which was stellar on Saturday. Without the threat of Leonard, guys like Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price more than likely wouldn’t have had the games they did. Having a quarterback with that type of dynamic ability is a cheat code in today’s game.
Of course nobody denied the rushing talent of Leonard, who is an outstanding athlete. The question surrounding him is going to be about his consistency as a passer, which I do think was better on Saturday. Was it perfect? Absolutely not but there were things to build on for sure.
For the most part, Leonard was a lot more decisive. He seemed to be working through reads quicker, and delivering accurately for routes working to the sideline. Leonard also threw a beautiful corner route to Jaden Greathouse, which was unfortunately called back due to a holding call late in the first half.
There was a two-play sequence in the second quarter that a lot of people will hyper focus on. One was a first down run by Leonard, where running back Jeremiyah Love was wide open down the field for what would have been a touchdown. The second was a deep shot to Beaux Collins, which was just missed.
That first post was on Leonard. He put his head down too quickly and got tunnel vision as a runner. The second play wasn’t. Left tackle Anthonie Knapp ran into him during his throw, which most certainly would have been an easy touchdown. This sequence, however, does still bring up the biggest improvement that Leonard needs.
Quite simply, he needs to keep his eyes up. As a dynamic runner, he is going to have to be able to get out of most sack attempts. That is going to give a lot of opportunities to create plays down field at times. He will need to be more patient as a playmaker and keep himself in passing mode a step further. If he does just that, the passing attack under Leonard has a chance to be a whole lot better.
It’s not perfect, and major improvements still need to happen. There were, however, positive signs for Leonard. The offense must use this performance and build on it moving forward. There is still a lot more potential to tap into with Leonard as a passer. It’s Mike Denbrock and this coaching staff’s job to unlock it.
