Denbrock: Leonard “Wired In” For Purdue After Tough Outing Against NIU

Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Being the quarterback of Notre Dame can bring with it insurmountable pressure for some players who have had the honor to take up the mantle of the position.

Riley Leonard, a transfer from Duke during the offseason, is the latest player to try to lead the Fighting Irish offense.

Through two games as the starter, he had yet to throw for a touchdown pass, 321 yards, and two interceptions… not exactly eye-popping numbers for your regular Notre Dame fan.

Notre Dame’s coaches have talked around any notion that Leonard was hurt against Northern Illinois, a 16-14 defeat that stunned the Irish and has nearly dashed their hopes for the College Football Playoff. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock told reporters this week that Leonard has been focused on turning in a good performance against Purdue.

“Go back to work, dig in! Being the quarterback at Notre Dame is not an easy thing, especially when you don’t have success,” Denbrock said after Wednesday’s practice. “For him to stay in a positive frame of mind and go back to work, that’s how that kid is wired. I didn’t expect anything different and that’s what I saw on the practice field today.”

Denbrock yielded any questions about any injuries Leonard may have suffered to Leonard, who did not attend Wednesday’s availability. He did say that Leonard was “bright-eyed” and “willing to go and ready to attack” in the second half against NIU.

Building confidence after having the program shaken to its core by a bad loss is certainly no easy task for any coach, let alone those leading the Fighting Irish. Denbrock said after Wednesday’s practice the team is back in a good mindset.

Sign up for the WIBC Newsletter to receive the latest news updates!

“Confidence is a fragile thing,” he said. “It’s something you have to continue to build on. We had a really good practice today. We keep stacking these days together, the end result is something the Irish faithful will be proud of.”

Defensive coordinator Al Golden has had the same tall task for his defense after they gave up too many explosive plays to the Huskies. He’s concerned about Purdue tight ends and quarterback Hudson Card’s running ability.

The margin for error is thin for the next nine games for Notre Dame as they are now dependent on what the rest of their schedule does. Quality wins to get themselves back in the CFP conversation are barely there.