The Fighting Irish will make a National Championship appearance for the first time since 2013, after securing a win in a powerful second half during the College Football Playoff semifinal on January 9.
Mitch Jeter, #98, kicked a 41-yard field goal in the game's final seconds to advance the Irish with a 27-24 win over Penn State.
What started as a shaky performance by Leonard, who missed the last two minutes of the first half to be evaluated for a concussion after a hard hit by Penn State defensive tackle Dvon J’Thomas, motivated the team to push through.
Backup Quarterback Steve Angeli #18 took over for the remainder of the half, kicking a 41-yard field goal to put Notre Dame on the board.
Thankfully, Leonard was cleared and despite trailing Penn State 3-10 at halftime, he led the Irish to a strong comeback. Due to the efforts of several key players, the Irish left the field as victors.
In a post-game interview with Sports Commentator Katie George, Leonard stated,
“...I just started trusting the Lord. I looked up and said, ‘Jesus, whatever your will is for my life, I trust it 100 percent. And I know that this offense and this team trust in Jesus and His plan for the season.”
Here's the video below:
Leonard, a transfer from Duke, has not hidden his gratitude for Our Lord all season.
On January 2, after the Irish won the All-State Sugar Bowl against Georgia (23-10), in a post-game interview with Laura Rutledge, he said,
“First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, I wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t be here as a whole group. Just to see these fans, it’s incredible... this is why I came to Notre Dame.”
In the same interview, when asked about the crushing loss to Northern Illinois (16-14) in September, Leonard said,
“When you trust in the Lord, anything can happen, and this team fought every single week.”
The January 9 triumph brings the Irish to 13 straight wins, a record for Notre Dame’s football program. Within just seven days, they won two bowl games with Leonard leading the team.
The Irish will play the winner of the January 10, 2025 Cotton Bowl, either Texas or Ohio State, on January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Irish have not won a National Championship since 1988, defeating West Virginia, under the leadership of College Football Hall of Famer (2008) Lou Holtz.
Will Riley Leonard and the Irish pull it off to become the next College Football Champions? Time will tell but the ‘luck of the Irish’ is trivial when Our Lady sits atop our Dome.