Notre Dame better off with Riley Leonard despite missed 'layups': Marcus Freeman

In a sport where no job is ever really safe, it’s been quite interesting to watch Marcus Freeman tied his job so completely to the performance of Notre Dame football starting quarterback Riley Leonard. If the former Duke Blue Devil doesn’t start putting up big numbers, it’s not a stretch to think he could be a big reason why his coach’s seat starts to get hot.

For now though, Leonard just needs to step up against Louisville. The Cardinals are going to make Leonard throw, perhaps more than any team the Irish have faced so far. However, as usual, Freeman says he has confidence in the job his QB1 can do.

Talking to the media on Monday, Freeman made it clear that he actually liked what he saw from Leonard against Miami. That despite the fact that he missed some easy throws. At least the Notre Dame football coach was honest about those misses, saying Leonard missed some “layups.”

It’s also become clear that Freeman is absolutely enamored with the way that Leonard runs the ball. He seems to think that’s a more powerful weapon than a standard passing game. And against Purdue and Miami, he’s not wrong.

Notre Dame football quarterback missed layups

Leonard’s passing stats didn’t look all that impressive. He was 16 of 25 for 154 yards and a touchdown. But according to PFF, he easily had his best passing grade of the season. And it wasn’t particularly close. 

And then of course, there’s the 11 carries for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even with an ugly fumble that had Irish fans worried, he’s having a rather insane season on the ground. 

Through four games, Leonard has 334 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns on the ground while throwing for 587 yards and a touchdown. Leonard has been a dual threat at quarterback. If he can stop missing layups, it’s possible Notre Dame football can take the next step.