Leonard, who opened Saturday's game with three straight TD drives, was the QB the Irish envisioned when he arrived via the transfer portal.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard had his best statistical performance through the air this past Saturday when the Fighting Irish knocked off the Louisville Cardinals 31-24. He completed 17 of 23 passes for 163 yards with 2 touchdowns.

When Riley Leonard transferred from Duke to Notre Dame, things did not go as planned. In a bit of ultimate Notre Dame irony, Leonard ended up missing almost all of Spring ball due to medical work being done to care for an injury the Irish created in 2023.

The Athletic’s Pete Sampson grabbed the quote from the “injured” one, and it wasn’t exactly that. Leonard told the press that he just got the wind knocked out of him, and needed a play to regroup. He said that “it was really no problem after a couple minutes. It really didn’t play an impact on me.”

The two parties will be raising money for those in Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties who are struggling with food insecurity.

Notre Dame's head coach reacted to starting quarterback Riley Leonard being booed after a slow start against Miami (Ohio).

Just one play later, Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard ran it in from the 4-yard line with 2:40 left to play in the first quarter to give the Irish a 21-7 lead over the Cardinals. This after Notre Dame fell behind 7-0 to start the game.

Shortly after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish recovered a huge fumble against the Louisville Cardinals, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard found a wide-open Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard touchdown pass.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) crosses into the end zone for a touchdown Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, during the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 66-7. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame football came out with a 31-24 victory over the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, avenging their 33-20 loss to them last season, a game that was not nearly as close as that final score would indicate.

Notre Dame football quarterback Riley Leonard is opening up about what the game means to him. Leonard says he always feels a bit anxious making wide-open throws to wide receivers. WATCH: #NDFootball QB Riley Leonard on the wide-open throws that “freak me out.