Following Northern Illinois’ 16-14 upset of the Irish, there was a lot of talk about quarterback play on Notre Dame fan forums. The Irish have already announced who will start against Purdue on Saturday.
On Labor Day weekend, Riley Leonard led the Irish to an upset over Texas A&M, which was ranked 20th. Leonard was more of a runner than a passer, but his abilities helped the Irish win their finest game under head coach Marcus Freeman.
Riley Leonard was bad against NIU
Leonard proved unsuccessful against NIU. He completed 20/32 passes for 163 yards and two interceptions. He missed simple throws.
According to Pete Sampson of The Athletic, Leonard made an unusual decision to toss the ball to Kris Mitchell on the game-winning interception. Leonard underthrew Mitchell, and NIU drove down the field for a field goal.
Leonard has completed 38 of 62 passes for 321 yards and two interceptions through two games. He has not thrown a touchdown pass this season. He’s rushed 23 times for 79 yards and one touchdown, averaging 3.4 yards per attempt.
For comparison, backup quarterback Steve Angeli went 15-19 for 323 yards and three touchdowns in his last start, a 40-8 victory over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl last December.
Marcus Freeman explained the decision to roll with Leonard
The Irish issued a depth chart for the Purdue game on Monday, and Leonard is listed as the team’s quarterback 1. Angeli is identified as QB 2.
According to Heather Dinich of ESPN, Freeman stated the coaching staff feels Riley can lead the offense. He also stated that the team as a whole needs to pay better.
“There are times that he has to throw the ball better,” he remarked. “He understands that, and his fundamentals need to be improved. His decision-making needs to improve, but so does our behavior around him. That is what the coaches are asking him to do and read. We need to catch the ball when he tosses it. We have to improve on contested catches. There are fingers pointed at everyone. We’re pointing fingers at everyone.
Notre Dame fans’ are upset with Freeman’s decision
Most Irish fans on social media want Leonard released after the loss to NIU. Some want Angeli to compete for the starting job, while others want to see newcomer CJ Carr develop on the squad.
