Notre Dame Football certainly isn’t unhappy with Riley Leonard these days. In a lot of ways, he’s helped wash away the bad taste of going to the transfer portal for a QB that Sam Hartman left. He’s also likely made it so that Irish fans don’t really miss guys like Drew Pyne.
Having said that, Pyne now has a new home and thanks to injury he got a start for the Missouri Tigers on Saturday. After coming in relief last week and playing exceedingly poorly, he managed to redeem himself.
The former Notre Dame football quarterback led his Tigers to a comeback win over Oklahoma that got especially wild in the fourth quarterback. In doing so, Pyne kept his team in the race for a playoff spot, even if the odds of Mizzou making the field are still rather low.
Ex-Notre Dame football star Drew Pyne leads new team to big victory
Against the Sooners, Pyne was far from perfect, completing just 14-of-27 passes for only 143 yards. But he made those completions count. The ex-Irish star had 3 touchdown passes, including one that allowed Missori to tie the game at 23-all with just over a minute to go in regulation.
Just a few plays later, the Tigers sacked OU quarterback Jackson Arnold, who promptly fumbled. Pyne’s teammates then scooped and scored and won the game 30-23. Keeping their postseason hopes alive.
It’s not clear just how long Pyne will be the starting quarterback for the Tigers. For now, the former Notre Dame football star is making the most of his opportunity.