Quarterback Riley Leonard accounted for 297 yards of offense and three touchdowns, and No. 17 Notre Dame pulled away for a 28-3 win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.
Leonard completed 16 of 25 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown for Notre Dame (3-1), which won its second game in a row since a stunning loss to Northern Illinois. Leonard also carried the ball 12 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Brett Gabbert completed 14 of 35 passes for 119 yards and two interceptions for Miami (Ohio), which remained winless on the season at 0-3. Cade McDonald caught four passes for 52 yards to lead the team.
Notre Dame outgained Miami (Ohio) 428-229. The Fighting Irish averaged 6.7 yards per play, compared with 3.6 yards per play for the RedHawks.
The RedHawks opened the scoring on a 26-yard field goal by Dom Dzioban with 12:32 remaining in the first half.
Notre Dame grabbed a 7-3 lead with 3:33 to go in the half. Leonard faked a handoff, kept the ball and dodged a couple defenders for an 8-yard rushing score.
The Fighting Irish struck again with 1:05 to go in the half to make it 14-3. Leonard connected with Beaux Collins, who hauled in a 38-yard pass down the right sideline for his first touchdown of the season.
In the third quarter, Notre Dame turned to its ground game to pull ahead 21-3. Jeremiyah Love scored on a 15-yard run to cap off a seven-play, 60-yard drive.
Leonard struck again with his legs in the fourth quarter to increase Notre Dame’s advantage to 28-3. He kept the ball on fourth-and-1 and sprinted for a 50-yard rushing touchdown to put the score out of reach with 5:39 remaining.
The play marked Leonard’s second touchdown of the afternoon and his sixth rushing touchdown in four games with Notre Dame. It also made Leonard the first Fighting Irish quarterback to surpass 100 rushing yards in back-to-back games since Carlyle Holiday accomplished the feat in 2001.
–Field Level Media
