QB Riley Leonard uses legs in No. 12 Notre Dame’s easy win over Georgia Tech
Riley Leonard passed for 203 yards and rushed for 51 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and No. 12 Notre Dame pulled away for a 31-13 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.
Jeremiyah Love notched 85 total yards (49 receiving, 36 rushing) and scored a touchdown on the ground for Notre Dame (6-1), which won its fifth game in a row. Adon Shuler had an interception return for a touchdown.
In his first start of the season, Zach Pyron passed for 269 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 45 yards to lead Georgia Tech (5-3). Jamal Haynes had a rushing touchdown and Chase Lane made a touchdown catch.
Georgia Tech opened the scoring as time expired at the end of the first quarter. Haynes tried to punch in a 1-yard run for a score, fumbled the ball but pounced on it across the goal line for a touchdown.
Notre Dame pulled even at 7-7 with seven minutes to go before halftime. Leonard took a shotgun snap, followed a blocker and fell into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run.
Leonard struck again, this time on a 12-yard run, to put Notre Dame on top 14-7 with 1:53 to go in the first half. He faked a handoff and weaved up the middle of the field for his second rushing touchdown of the game and his 10th of the season.
The Fighting Irish increased their lead to 21-7 with 11:01 to play in the third quarter. Love bounced right and scored standing up for a 1-yard touchdown.
Zac Yoakam made his first career field goal attempt to give Notre Dame a 24-7 lead with 10:01 remaining in the fourth quarter. Teammates sprinted up to the junior kicker to congratulate him after he drilled a 42-yarder.
Shuler made it 31-7 in favor of Notre Dame with a 36-yard interception return for a score with 2:37 to play.
Pyron capped the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Lane with 23 seconds left.
Georgia Tech played without its No. 1 quarterback, Haynes King, who sat out because of an unspecified upper-body injury.
–Field Level Media
