National Analyst JD PicKell PREVIEWS Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M | Prediction, Analysis

Riley Leonard was far from perfect in his debut as the Notre Dame quarterback on saturday against Texas A&Mbut he got the job done. The Fighting Irish QB completed 18 of 30 passes for 158 yards and no touchdowns, though he also threw no interceptions.

Most importantly, he showed up in crunch time when Notre Dame needed him most in the fourth quarter. Leonard completed both passes and rushed for 20 yards before Jeremiyah Love broke free for the 21-yard touchdown run.

CLICK HERE to go to PrizePicks and use the code ON3 to get a guaranteed $50 when you play $5 in lineups!

That put the Fighting Irish up 20-13, and they would never trail again en route to victory. Their offensive line held the Aggies to zero sacks on the day and also allowed for 5.8 yards per carry.

“That’s a great D-line we faced today,” Freeman said. “Probably one of the toughest we’ll face this year. I’m proud of those young guys, man. I think we’ve got six starts in those five starts. They got baptized today against a really good D-line, but I’m proud of them. They’re going to keep getting better on offense, defense, special teams. It’s something special.”

Watch College Football Games Live – Try Fubo for Free! Click HERE NOW

Leonard took a while to get going, but certainly showed he can deliver in clutch time. He came through with a nine-yard rush for a first down on the opening play of the Fighting Irish touchdown drive. He later scrambled for 11 yards on first down.

It wasn’t always easy, as Leonard admitted he had a slow start, but when it came time to deliver, he did.

“I was just kind of there,” he said. “It only took me 45 minutes to do that, but I was there and I started making my right reads. Like coach said, sometimes you’ve got to put your body on the line for your guys. We did that and one drive is enough.”

It was of course a noisy environment in College Station with the 12th Man in full swing. Leonard recognized the opportunity to take on that challenge and was grateful to emerge victorious.

“Unreal crowd. This place is something every kid dreams of,” he said. “You look up and you can’t even see the end of the stands. It’s an unbelievable place to be and God bless this football team. I can’t even put it into words right now. These guys worked so hard and I know I’m the one behind the microphone right now, but if someone won the game, I shouldn’t be doing it. Kudos to those guys. They played great.”

Riley Leonard and Notre Dame play Northern Illinois next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.