The Next Step for Notre Dame? Riley Leonard Needs to Build on Passing Success

After a strong passing performance against Stanford, Notre Dame looks to build on their aerial success as they prepare for the next phase of the 2024 season.

Oct 12, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) celebrates as tight end Eli Raridon (9) runs for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's balanced attack against Stanford

From a Notre Dame perspective, seeing the Irish dominate and blow out the Cardinal was great. To me, the best part about the win was the balanced nature of the Irish's performance. In a welcomed change of pace, Riley Leonard threw the ball for the exact amount that the Irish also ran for, 229 yards.

This kind of effective balance offensively is something that Notre Dame has been seeking for most of the season. This is the kind of offense that can keep a defense off-balance and force it to play the Irish straight-up. This was progress for Riley Leonard and Notre Dame.

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Riley Leonard has been named a Manning Award Star of the Week

Vote for Riley for Manning Award Quarterback of the Week: https://t.co/ZvWNQMS2pw#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/KxSYoB7aL5

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 14, 2024

Will Notre Dame continue to improve the passing game?

Notre Dame faces Georgia Tech this week whose pass defense rank is in the 30's, not 100's like Stanford's. That being acknowledged, I still think Notre Dame can build off of last week's performance.

Confidence is real and the Irish have some now. Also, the reconfigured offensive line has worked together for a decent amount of time now, it's fair to expect that to pay dividends in the second half of the season.

If Notre Dame can continue to bring its top 10 defense to play each week with a more consistently balanced and effective offensive attack, it will have a great chance to sweep the remaining 6 games and head to the CFP.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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