Notre Dame's Riley Leonard Had Classy Message for Backup QB Steve Angeli

Angeli engineered a scoring drive before halftime as Leonard was evaluated for a concussion.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard has nothing but respect for backup Steve Angeli / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish punched their ticket to the national championship after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 on Thursday night in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard made just enough plays through the air and on the ground to help will the Fighting Irish to a win, but he couldn't have done it without backup quarterback Steve Angeli, who Leonard was quick to praise after the game.

Angeli came into the game off the bench just before halftime when Leonard was on the sideline being evaluated for a concussion, and led the Irish to a much-needed field goal that cut Penn State's lead to 10-3 going into the locker room.

"You talk about a guy who's had my back all year. He prepares like he's going to be the starting quarterback every single week. I have so much respect for this guy. He's an outstanding player. Everybody on our team believed he was going to go down there and drive us and we put points on the board so shoutout to Steve Angeli as well," Leonard said.

Angeli’s field goal drive proved to be all important, as Notre Dame ultimately took a thrilling three-point win to advance to the national title.

Notre Dame awaits the Cotton Bowl winner of Ohio State and Texas, which will be played on Friday night in Dallas.

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