SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Riley Leonard accounted for 297 yards of total offense and three touchdowns as No. 17 Notre Dame shook off a sluggish offensive start to beat Miami (Ohio) 28-3 on Saturday.
Leonard capped the Fighting Irish (3-1) scoring when he raced 50 yards up the middle for a score with 5:39 left in the game. He finished his day with 143 yards rushing on 12 carries with two touchdowns. Leonard connected on 12 of 25 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown.
Haunted by off-target passes and penalties, Notre Dame found itself trailing 3-0 early in the second quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Miami’s Dom Dzioban.
The Fighting Irish, who lost 16-14 to Northern Illinois in their previous home game, were booed by the crowd a couple of times during the first three drives as they twice went three-and-out and turned it over on downs.
“That’s part of the game, right? If you don’t do your job, people are going to boo you,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “But if you let that affect the way you go out and execute the next play, then, man, you’re not the right person for this job, or to be our quarterback at Notre Dame. So, I hope (Leonard) handled it the exact way that I would expect him to. What do you need to do to refocus, to go out the next play and get your job done?”
The Irish woke up offensively late in the half. Leonard, who said he blocked out the noise, marched the offense 87 yards in 10 plays and took the ball to the end zone on a zig-zagging eight-yard run with 3:33 left in the second quarter.
After a Miami punt, Notre Dame only needed 56 seconds to add to the lead. Leonard launched a perfect strike to Beaux Collins, who made an over-the-shoulder 38-yard touchdown catch with 1:05 left in the second quarter to give the Irish a 14-3 halftime lead.
Notre Dame finished with 270 yards rushing and 158 yards passing. Leonard credited the defense with keeping the game close early.
“I think obviously, with the way the defense plays, that takes a lot of pressure off us as an offense,” Leonard said. “We would go out there and maybe take risks and play freely, because we know we have such a great defense that will complement our game if we were to make a mistake. And then up front with the offensive line. I thought they did an outstanding job.”
Notre Dame fumbled and punted on its first two second-half possessions before a leaping interception by Christian Gray put the ball back in the hands of the Irish offense at their own 40. That set up Jeremiyah Love’s 15-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 21-3.
Notre Dame’s defense made sure the RedHawks (0-3) weren’t able to gain any separation after their early lead.
Junior Tuihalamaka picked off a Miami pass broken up by Gray to end a RedHawk threat that reached the Notre Dame 5 in the first quarter. Notre Dame also forced a turnover on downs at its 36 in the first.
In his first career start, defensive lineman Boubacar Traore had two sacks, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry — all in the first half.
Miami coach Chuck Martin was disappointed that his team let the early opportunities — especially the interception in the red zone — slip away.
“I really love the way we came out,” Martin said. “We had a chance. You play these games, you have to jump on them and take advantage of your opportunities.
“It should be a two-score advantage for us. They’re (Notre Dame) kind of sleepwalking through it a little bit. It’s hard if you’re at Notre Dame and you’re playing Miami of Ohio. Those kids didn’t get recruited by Miami of Ohio.”
The takeaway
One week after piling up 42 points in the first half in a 66-7 victory at Purdue, Notre Dame managed only 40 yards combined on its first three drives against Miami (Ohio). Notre Dame has work to do on establishing continuity on offense in order to push its way back into the College Football Playoff conversation.
Poll implications
Notre Dame will likely stay in the Top 20, but don’t expect a major jump after early struggles against a Miami team still in search of its first victory.
Up next
Notre Dame: Hosts No. 19 Louisville on Saturday, Sept. 28
Miami (Ohio): Hosts UMass on Saturday, Sept. 28
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