Notre Dame QB Interrupts Marcus Freeman's Presser to Give Coach Flowers Over Trick Play

Riley Leonard made sure his coach's efforts didn't go unnoticed after the Fighting Irish's Sugar Bowl win.

Riley Leonard and Marcus Freeman speak to the media following Notre Dame's win in the Sugar Bowl. / Notre Dame / YouTube

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard would like the world to recognize his coach's efforts in the Sugar Bowl.

Following No. 7 Notre Dame's dominant 23–10 victory over the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday night, coach Marcus Freeman was asked about the Fighting Irish's trick play in the fourth quarter. But before Freeman could finish his answer praising his players for executing it to perfection, Leonard grabbed the microphone.

"Real quick, he's being humble," Leonard said. "That was completely his play. We were going to do it a different way like two days ago. And then he flipped it, and we executed it that way, and it worked. So, he's being humble. ... I'll say it for him: Great call, great execution."

WATCH: Marcus Freeman discusses Notre Dame’s trick play late in the game on 4th down that caused Georgia to jump offsides & basically end the game.

Riley Leonard then interrupts to say Freeman is being humble & that Freeman tweaked the design 2 days ago & made it better. pic.twitter.com/qsAmfvisGc

— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlo) January 3, 2025

Facing a fourth-and-1 from Notre Dame's own 19-yard line with about eight minutes left in regulation, the Fighting Irish, leading 23–10, initially lined up like it was going to punt the ball away. But Freeman called for a substitution, swapping out the entire punt unit for his offense. In response, Georgia subbed its defense back in, and jumped offsides with a few seconds remaining on the play clock.

The penalty gifted Notre Dame a fresh set of downs, and the Fighting Irish didn't give the ball back to Georgia until there were just two minutes left in the game. Ball game.

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart admitted after the game that he thought Notre Dame's trick play was illegal based on a conversation he had with an SEC referee. But the 11-for-11 substitution was indeed legal because the ball was not yet in play.

Now, Notre Dame's attention turns to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 with a matchup looming against No. 6 Penn State. Who knows what tricks Freeman will have up his sleeves for the semifinals?

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