Notre Dame Quarterback Riley Leonard Talks Gunner Stockton Making First Start

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard recalls his first start ahead of Sugar Bowl matchup with Georgia Bulldogs.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard during an Allstate Sugar Bowl Media availability session. | Christian Kirby II

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard recalls his first start ahead of Sugar Bowl matchup with Georgia Bulldogs.

The Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are just days away from one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the College Football Playoff as the two teams will battle in the Allstate Sugar Bowl to earn a spot in the semifinals.

While the two teams share many similarities in this game, the experience of their quarterbacks is vastly different. While Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard has multiple years of starts (with multiple teams) under his belt, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton will be making the first start of his collegiate career.

With such a massive task ahead for quarterback Gunner Stockton, Irish quarterback Riley Leonard was asked what he thought of the challenge that lies ahead for the Bulldogs' quarterback and even joked about how disastrous his first collegiate start went during his time with the Duke Blue Devils.

"My first start was my freshman year against Virginia Tech at Virginia Tech," said Leonard, "It was about 17° with 30 mph winds and I played absolutely terrible. But I wasn't as talented as Gunner is."

While Leonard's jokes around his first start provided some light-hearted self-deprecation. The Irish quarterback also commented on how lucky he feels to be in the current situation that he is in.

"No matter what, how old you are, I think it's, it's really important to appreciate the opportunity that we have and how many kids I would love to be in our shoes."

Leonard and Stockton will face off on Wednesday evening in New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN.

Other Georgia News:

• Former Georgia Quarterback Brock Vandagriff Announces Retirement
• Georgia Football's All-time Record in the State of Louisiana
• Georgia vs Notre Dame Provides Similar Storyline to Previous Matchup

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