Riley Leonard's secret to success continues to shine in Notre Dame's thrashing of lowly Florida State
Notre Dame Football is on fire. The Fighting Irish completely annihilated Mike Norvell's lowly Florida State team 52-3 on Saturday. That gives Marcus Freeman and his Irish seven straight victories since their let down against Northern Illinois in early September. Quarterback Riley Leonard has led his team to score a total of 311 points in […]
Notre Dame Football is on fire. The Fighting Irish completely annihilated Mike Norvell's lowly Florida State team 52-3 on Saturday. That gives Marcus Freeman and his Irish seven straight victories since their let down against Northern Illinois in early September. Quarterback Riley Leonard has led his team to score a total of 311 points in that span now (over 44 points per game).
So, what makes Riley Leonard so special. Why is he so good? And how did he go from scoring just 23 and 16 points respectively in his first two games to perhaps creating one of the most phenomenal offenses in the country?
In short, it comes down to two things: decision-making and mobility. For those keeping track, Riley Leonard is not the best passer in college football. Even in a lopsided win against Florida State this Saturday he still barely managed to complete half his passes. However, he makes up for it with his legs and his safety with the football.
Leonard now only trails Alabama's Jalen Milroe in rushing touchdowns per game among all FBS quarterbacks. He trails only Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia in rushing yards among power conference quarterbacks. And to go along with that, he's posting a top ten interception rate (in the good way) among all power conference passers too.
Riley Leonard finished the blowout victory over Florida State with a passer rating of 131, tallying 215 passing yards, adding 70 rushing yards on the ground. It was his fourth multi-touchdown game on the ground and his seventh without an interception. It's no wonder Notre Dame's offense has been unstoppable for two months now.
Even when the conventional rushing attack struggled on Saturday, Leonard would just figure out how to make a play. Star running back Jeremiyah Love was stymied for just 19 yards on nine carries. Jadarian Price broke off one big run, but was limited to just 30 rushing yards for the majority of the contest. It didn't matter. Leonard just simply executed, forcing Notre Dame towards an impressive mark of seven yards per play on the day.
If Riley Leonard continues making good decisions with the ball through the air and adding value with his legs on the ground it's going to be tough for any team to slow down Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish. Elite defenses might try and force Leonard to pass, ultimately finding some success in stopping him late in the College Football Playoff, but for now he's too good to even be slowed down. Let's hope that continues.
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