SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Riley Leonard rushed for two touchdowns, passed for 215 yards and one touchdown and No. 10 Notre Dame added more misery to Florida State by overwhelming the Seminoles 52-3 on Saturday night.

Notre Dame (8-1) rolled up 453 yards of total offense. The Fighting Irish defense had eight sacks and two additional tackles for loss.

Notre Dame’s win, the biggest in a rivalry highlighted by a down-to-earth finish, tied the series at 6-6.

“Man, (I’m) proud of those guys,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “Proud of the way they prepared. When you watch the film you know you’re playing against a talented group, but because of the record you could have easily overlooked those guys in terms of preparation.

“But we have an adult group,” Freeman said. “We have some seniors that continue to lead this group the right way, and I really believe in my heart that Saturday is a reflection of the preparation and them preparing the right way. They have the right mentality. and they really go out and play well.”

Leonard gained 70 yards rushing with his 215 yards passing. On his first touchdown, the senior quarterback broke to the left side and sprinted 34 yards, diving into the end zone to cap Notre Dame’s first drive. He sliced ​​through the Florida State defense for a six-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Jadarian Price ran 65 yards for Notre Dame’s second touchdown, and tight end Mitchell Evans caught a 12-yard pass from Leonard for a touchdown that extended Notre Dame’s lead to 21–3 at halftime.

Jeremiyah Love scored from the 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Steve Angeli finished the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Deion Colzie.

A 79-yard pick six by Luke Talich with 1:23 left in the game put an exclamation point on Notre Dame’s win.

Florida State (1-9) drove 75 yards on 16 plays and set up a 23-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald in the first quarter. The Seminoles gained just 37 yards on their next seven drives combined.

Notre Dame’s defense punished Florida State quarterbacks Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek with eight sacks for minus 81 yards. Glenn was 5 of 18 passing for 51 yards and two interceptions. Komenhoek was 5 of 8 passing for 37 yards.

Rylie Mills led Notre Dame with three sacks.

“We’re all disappointed,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “This is not the result we expected. This is not part of what we want our program to look like. Boys fought all the time. Thanks to the opponent for what they could do. It is a season full of results that makes us sick, but we still have to make a choice about how we will finish – and that is to work and get better.”

Notre Dame defensive tackle Howard Cross III left the game in the second quarter with an apparent ankle injury. Cross staggered off the field and did not return. He leads Notre Dame with four sacks this season.

Takeaways

Florida State: The Seminoles are doomed to no better than a three-win season with a 1-9 record and two games remaining. Florida State’s last three-win season was the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when the Seminoles were 3-6. This season could be the team’s lowest win total in a full season since Florida State was 3-8 in 1975.

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish will need to close strong against Virginia, Army and Southern California and get some help to take home court in the College Football Playoff. But one misstep and the Fighting Irish could have a few restless nights before the selections are announced.

Survey implications

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish will likely rise in the rankings after Georgia and Miami losses.

Next

Notre Dame hosts Virginia on Saturday.

Florida State has a bye week before hosting Charleston Southern on Nov. 23.

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