The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had an otherwise lifeless offense in the first half until the last series when quarterback Steve Angeli entered the game in place of Riley Leonard, who exited the game with a suspected concussion.
Backup Angeli directed the Fighting Irish on a 13-play drive which yielded a 41-yard Mitch Jeter field goal. Aside from bringing the game to one-score, the Notre Dame offense appeared to perform better in the late stages of the first half.
Steve Angeli Helps Lead Notre Dame Offense
Star Notre Dame quarterback Leonard exited the game having completed six of 11 pass attempts for just 63 yards. He also threw an interception while having minimal impact with his legs.
Steve Angeli is SPINNING IT
He looks COMFORTABLE #PMSCFPESPN2 pic.twitter.com/m3sVU876RU
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 10, 2025
While lacking the same kind of dual threat we’ve become accustomed to from former Duke Blue Devil Leonard, Angeli marched the Irish 52 yards to get on the scoreboard. The Notre Dame back up went 6-of-7 for 44 yards on the drive, looking composed when called into action in the biggest game in recent program history.
Replays showed that Leonard took a big shot and was injured on the drive, with his head appearing to strike the turf as the Notre Dame offense toiled behind a beat up offensive line. He was taken to the medical tent and then to the locker room for further evaluation.
Angeli has 19 career appearances and has completed 52-of-72 passes. He has a 10-1 touchdown to interception ratio for his career.
Showcasing an ability to handle big-game pressure, Angeli faced a high snap which caused him to get sacked and lose yardage, but there was nothing he could do. He was hit from both sides as he controlled the football. He did well enough not to fumble under contact from one of the most dangerous defensive lines in the nation.
Leonard had some difficulty in moving the Irish down the field when he was on the field, leading to some Notre Dame fans clamoring for Angeli to remain on the field for the second half. However, Leonard returned to the starting lineup for the opening drive of the second half and punched it into the end zone to tie the game at 10-10.
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