By: Liam Abayasinghe
Photo Credit: Matt Cashore- Imagn Images
Recap and Takeaways from Saturday
By a score of 31-24, the Fighting Irish managed to take the down the Cardinals. While it was technically a one score game, the game never truly felt close. Fourteen of the Cards points were due to untimely fumbles from Price and Devyn Ford in the Irish’s own territory. Another 3 points were due to a school-record, 58 yard field goal from the Louisville kicker. Even with all that being said, the Irish led for approximately 52 minutes of the ball game. Riley Leonard came out on point Saturday, responding to the critics by leading the Irish to an early 21-7 lead in the 1st while scoring a passing touchdown and rushing one in. The final stat line for Leonard was 17-23 for 163 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns while accounting for 52 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Riley Leonard has received a bunch of slack over his 5 game tenure at Notre Dame, and while some has been warranted Leonard consistently has improved over that stretch. Overlooked is the fact that he was banged up recovering from surgery in the spring and therefore missed some key reps with the team. This contributed to his slow start, as he and his receivers were not on the same page for the much of the games he has played in. However, he completed 73 percent of his passes against Louisville. Leonard is ascending to what Irish faithful believed he would bring to this team in 2024. He just needs some patience and faith.
What’s Next
The Irish and Leonard are off this week. This week will be detrimental to the Irish’s playoff hopes as the bye comes in a time where much of the team is banged up. This includes Leonard. Leonard will need to rest up and reset this week. The Irish need to be perfect down the stretch to reach the College Football Playoffs and if Leonard is banged up, the playoffs hopes will significantly dwindle for the Fighting Irish.
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