Riley Leonard Returns in 2nd Half to Lead Notre Dame to Orange Bowl Win Over Penn State

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard hands the ball off to running back Jeremiyah Love during the first half against Georgia in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff on Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. Gerald Herbert/AP Photo

Notre Dame senior quarterback Riley Leonard left the field after taking a big hit late in the first half of the Orange Bowl on Thursday, but he didn’t let that stop him from leading a second-half comeback to take the win over No. 6 Penn State, 27–24.

In the starter’s absence, junior backup quarterback Steve Angeli completed 6 of 7 passes for 44 yards, and senior kicker Mitch Jeter hit a 41-yard field goal to make the score 10–3 at halftime. The No. 7 Fighting Irish (14–1) had been contained the entire first half by a tough Nittany Lions defense.

In the second half, Leonard, having cleared concussion protocol, led four scoring drives. He completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 223 yards and a touchdown, plus 35 yards rushing and a score in the College Football Playoff semifinal in Miami.

“I think our medical support team, first and foremost, did a really good job,” Leonard told reporters afterward. “Got up a little wobbly. That’s an indicator that they’ve got to bring me to the tent. Take me through all the concussion tests. We went through all the tests.

“They decided I was good to go back. We definitely took our time, and they evaluated my numbers from this summer, when I took a brain test, to what I performed in the test. So, passed that.”

Leonard credited Angeli for a job well done.

“This is a guy who’s kind of waited his turn,” Leonard said. “Prepared like he was the starting quarterback every single week. Showed a lot of maturity. He helps me out every single week.”

“He’s a guy on the sideline who knows exactly what the defense is doing, and he’s a good friend of mine. I appreciate him a lot,” Leonard said. “For him to go in, drive them down the field, three points before half. That was big.”

Leonard opened the second half with an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive, which he capped with a 3-yard touchdown run to tie the game 10–10. He noted that Irish head coach Marcus Freeman helped the team reframe their mindset coming out of the locker room, which made the difference.

“He said history is written by conquerors, and we’re holding the pen—we decide how we want to write our history,” Leonard said. “And I’m a firm believer in whether you think you can or you can’t do something—you’re right. We believe that we can do it, and we went out there and did it.”

Immediately after the win, Leonard spoke with ESPN and referred to his faith, something he has done throughout the season in his on-field postgame interviews.

“I just trusted in the Lord. I looked up and said, Jesus, whatever your will is for my life, I trust it 100 percent,” he told ESPN.

Notre Dame will now play for a national championship against the winner of Ohio State and Texas on Jan. 20. The Irish last played for a national title in 2013 and last won it all in 1988.