SOUTH BEND — Even though Riley Leonard struggled to be accurate against Northern Illinois’ underrated pass defense, Notre Dame Football coach Marcus Freeman never hesitated.
He was asked on Monday if he had ever considered lifting his quarterback in trouble in favor of safeguarding Steve AngeliFreeman shook his head.
“We didn’t consider that,” he said. “We have a lot of confidence in Riley and him to run our offense. It’s not a knock on Steve. We have a lot of confidence in Steve, too, but we didn’t consider that.”
Freeman did not directly answer a question about whether Leonard played despite physical issues. Team trainers checked on the senior transfer from Duke late in the first half.
While being tackled by Huskies defensive tackle Devonte O’Malley, Leonard pivoted awkwardly and threw a pass backward for a loss of 14 yards. Leonard lay on his stomach for several seconds and appeared to favor his left arm after getting up.
Leonard, who is coming off three foot and ankle surgeries since his last appearance at Duke in October, downplayed speculation he was limited in the loss. After carrying the ball five times for 33 yards and a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, Leonard carried the ball just six more times, including two sacks.
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“No, I don’t think I was limited,” he said Saturday. “It’s just the way the game went. I felt really good the rest of the game.”
Held without a touchdown pass in two games, Leonard moves the Irish into a tie for 110th placeth nationally with 18.5 points per game. Their passing efficiency ranks 130thahead of only Akron, New Mexico, Wyoming and the Air Force.
At 5.1 yards per attempt, those four (more South Florida And Florida Atlantic) are the only passing offenses ranked lower than Our Lady‘s.
Leonard was shown on ABC flexing his throwing hand early in the second half. Texas A&M University after hitting the helmet of Aggies edge Nic Scourton on his follow-up. Freeman praised his quarterback’s courage after the victory.
“He had a bruised hand, he took a few hits,” Freeman said in College Station. “But I have a lot of confidence in a guy like Riley Leonard at the end of the game, putting the ball in his hands.”
On Monday, while noting that Leonard needs to work on his footwork and pocket presence, Freeman gave the quarterback co-captain another vote of confidence heading into Saturday’s game against unranked teams. Purdue.
“I know what I can expect from Riley Leonard,” Freeman said. “He’s a quarterback that’s going to be prepared, that’s going to be looking to be a great leader and challenge his teammates the right way and be ready to play Saturday. That’s what I know.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article was originally published on the South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman sticks with QB Riley Leonard
