Only a few days remain until the NCAAF season is finally decided. Both Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish have justified their place in the final game, given the immense talent of both teams. Months ago, Riley Leonard could have been coached by Ryan Day due to the transfer portal, but ultimately Will Howard joined his roster. On January 20th, they will face each other.
When asked by the press about the possibility of Leonard joining the Buckeyes’ ranks before this season, Ryan Day, although he didn’t specify his interest in adding the quarterback to his roster, couldn’t help but highlight the talent the player possesses.
“I think Riley made his decision pretty quickly,” the head coach stated. “But he is somebody that I’ve respected from afar. Just the way that he competes. He’s a great athlete. He’s got a great mindset. Again, watching him play this year and the toughness and leadership that he brings. You can tell that the offense and the entire team feeds off of him. So, a lot of respect for his game.”
Riley Leonard joined Notre Dame after several years with the Duke Blue Devils. Throughout this season under the guidance of Marcus Freeman, the QB completed 66.4% of his passes for 2,606 yards and 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He’s also rushed for 866 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The decision to choose Will Howard didn’t turn out so bad for Ohio State: in this last season, he completed 72.6% of his passes for 3,779 yards and 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 169 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
Riley Leonard’s decision to choose Notre Dame
After his time with the Duke Blue Devils, Riley Leonard ultimately decided to commit to the Notre Dame program with one clear goal: to win the National Championship.
“Yeah, throughout this whole off-season everybody would ask me why I came to Notre Dame and I would give a lot of different answers, but the truth is I came here to win a national championship and to go to the best team that would give me the best chance to do that,” Leonard stated to the press. “Obviously this is the right place and I made the right decision. That’s why I came here, at the end of the day.”
Only one step remains for the quarterback to achieve his goal, and that is to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 20th.
Ryan Day clarified the situation with Jeremiah Smith
One of the most lethal weapons in the Buckeyes‘ offense throughout the season undoubtedly centered around what both Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith could do. Although the wide receiver has been one of the standout figures in these playoffs, during the last game against the Longhorns, he was notably restrained, unable to showcase all his talent.
Regarding this situation, the head coach told the press that it was primarily due to the execution of his team’s game plan and not so much the effectiveness of the opponent’s defense.
“Yea, I think when you look at it, it’s a little bit more about execution than it is anything else,” Day said. “They really didn’t play us any differently than some of the other teams that we’ve played. But we weren’t able to sustain a few of those drives and connect on a couple of other plays.”
When will the National Championship Game be played?
Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will have the privilege of playing the last game of the season. Both teams will face off in the National Championship Game on January 20th.
The setting will be the impressive Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Falcons. A packed stadium is expected, with both fanbases cheering for their teams from the stands and helping their players achieve their goal.