in his first game for notra Dame quarterback Riley Leonard faced a tough challenge with the score tied against Texas A and M late in the fourth quarter Leonard was confident he could lead his team to Victory and he did just that helping the Fighting Irish secure a 23-3 win over the number 20 Aggies everyone knew we were going to score Leonard said afterward it was just a matter of when Leonard LED an impressive eight playay 85 yard drive that ended with a 21 yd touchdown run by Jeremiah Love with less than 2 minutes left in the game love broke through the defense and scored giving notra Dame the lead and sealing the win Leonard who transferred to notra Dame from duke showed off his skills by throwing for 158 yards and running for another 63 despite missing most of the offseason due to ankle surgeries Leonard quickly proved himself as a leader on the field notra Dame head coach Marcus Freeman praised lard saying I have a lot of confidence in Riley Leonard at the end of the game we put the ball in his hand and he made the right decisions to help us win the game was special for Leonard because he faced his former coach Mike Elco who now coaches Texas A and M the two had worked together for the past two years at Duke so they knew each other's strategies well there's a game within the game Leonard said with a smile we playing notra Dame vs A and M but there's also a rivalry between me and Coach Elco it's all in good fun but we are both very competitive Elco admitted it was tough going up against his former quarterback it was n't fun he said I knew it wouldn't be Riley made some big plays that helped them win after the game I told him I loved him and that I'll be cheering for him for the rest of his life Leonard known for his ability to both pass and run the ball showed he hasn't lost his Edge despite his injuries the way I play the game I won't change that for anything or anyone Leonard said I was able to use my legs tonight and it worked out with this win Riley Leonard has shown that he's ready to lead notra Dame to success this season if this game is any indication the Fighting Irish are in good hands