Notre Dame's Riley Leonard to play versus Purdue despite injury sustained in Northern Illinois loss

Despite sustaining a shoulder injury, Notre Dame's quarterback Riley Leonard is expected to take to the field against Purdue on Saturday. According to Pete Nakos from On3, Leonard suffered a posterior labrum injury to his left shoulder , his non-throwing arm, during the game against Northern Illinois last weekend.

An MRI test followed over the weekend to evaluate the extent of his injury. Leonard, who transferred from Duke, hasn't managed to score a touchdown pass in his first couple of games with Notre Dame.

In the clash with Northern Illinois, he did score with an 11-yard run but had difficulties later on, ending up with two interceptions as Notre Dame narrowly lost 16-14.

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Leonard took the blame for one of the interceptions admitting to a "completely bad read," writes Pete Sampson of The Athletic. Nonetheless, Marcus Freeman, the head coach, confirmed on Monday that switching Leonard for the substitute Steve Angeli had not been considered, stating, "We have a lot of belief in Riley and his ability to run our offense."

After their loss, Notre Dame slipped to No. 18 in the AP poll rankings. Leonard will be the starter against Purdue, but ongoing issues could lead to Angeli getting some action. Angeli, in his junior year, saw game time in eight matches for the Fighting Irish last season.

Leonard's 2023 season at Duke was cut short to just seven games due to foot and ankle injuries, which necessitated multiple surgeries during the offseason. However, when fit, he managed to complete 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,102 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, while also rushing for 352 yards and four touchdowns.

Leonard is now focused on recapturing the form he demonstrated in his standout 2022-23 season with Duke, where he guided the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record. During that season, he threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while adding 699 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Following their victory over Texas A&M to kick off the season, Notre Dame will be aiming to bounce back against Purdue, as Leonard chases his first passing touchdown of the year.

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