UHND.com - Notre Dame Football, Basketball, & Recruiting

2023 (in media) was that Leonard was a great runner but couldn't pass so ND shouldn't struggle. That was the exact saving grace for ND in that game. Riley couldn't pass. He beat them with his legs all game and when it came down to completing a few passes he couldn't do it. Everyone talks about ND beat them bc he got hurt. RL got hurt in the 2nd to last offensive play. The game was in the bag then.

Additionally, if you spent five minutes looking at his three seasons of stats as he entered the portal you knew he was half the QB of Hartman who was a dud. They both played in an extremely weak conference which padded their stats. Remember how easy 2020 was for ND when they were in the ACC?

Before this year RL had 24 TDs and 10 picks that's only a 2 to 1 ratio which is pitiful and his downfield pass completion rate was 23%. Not to mention he was about a mid 50s% passer. 2022 was an anomaly and the hype came because Duke won 8 games so it turned everyone's heads.

2021 0-6 - did not break 100 yards passing in a single game
2022 9-4 - 6 of 13 games under 200yds passing and only roughly 65yds on the ground in each, save one with 96
2023 4-3 - 5 of 7 games under 200 yds passing, barely double digits yards rushing.

17 of 26 games under 200 yards passing!!! 65% of the time he didn't throw for more than 200 yards. That's atrocious as a modern-day QB in spread offenses.

He was 13-13 as a QB, coming in. he's 50% now 1-1 with one of the losses being to a MAC school. The data more than presented the case of what we were getting. The same thing happened with Hartman.