Senior quarterback Riley Leonard has been selected to the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 List for his performance in the 51-14 win over No. 24 Navy this past weekend. It marks the third time this season that Leonard has earned the honor.
Leonard passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for 83 yards and an additional touchdown, doing it all in just three quarters. It marks the seventh-consecutive game in which Leonard has rushed for a touchdown.
There were five matchups across college football this weekend in which both teams were ranked. Notre Dame owned the largest margin of victory in those games, with a 37-point difference. With his 178 yards in the air and 83 on the ground, Leonard was the only quarterback in those five games that rushed for more than 70 yards while also passing for 100 or more yards.
With 11 rushing touchdowns this season, he is tied for third in most rushing touchdowns by an FBS quarterback in 2024, and second among all Power 4 quarterbacks. He ranks 10th nationally in rushing touchdowns among all FBS players, and 12th in total touchdowns.
He owns 539 rushing yards this season, leading all Power 4 quarterbacks and ranking sixth among all FBS quarterbacks. Leonard’s 30-career rushing touchdowns ranks him second among all active FBS quarterbacks.
Nationally, Notre Dame has the 13th-ranked rushing offense, with 216.5 yards per game, and the 20th-ranked scoring offense in FBS, averaging 36.6 points per game. Notre Dame is 3-0 in ranked matchups this season, tied with Tennessee (3-0) for best record against ranked teams in college football.