Marcus Freeman Weighs in on Notre Dame fans booing Riley Leonard

After a very slow start Saturday, Notre Dame fans let Riley Leonard hear their displeasure

Sep 21, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) runs the ball as Miami Redhawks defensive end Josh Lukusa (94) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard wound up having a solid box score in Saturday's 28-3 victory over Miami (Ohio), but things didn't start well.

Leonard missed on several throws early and as a result, Notre Dame found itself in a 3-0 hole to the heavy underdog more than halfway through the second quarter. That's when Notre Dame fans let Leonard know their displeasure by booing his performance and chanting for backup quarterback Steve Angeli.

After the game, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was asked about the fan's decision to boo the starting quarterback.


“If you don’t do your job, people are going to boo you," said Freeman. "We don't make decisions based off what the sentiment of the stadium is."

"I have a lot of confidence in our quarterback. He led us to a great victory today."

It's officially BEAUX TIME#GoIrish☘️ | @beaux_collins pic.twitter.com/BOWNUdaeST

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 21, 2024

To Leonard's credit he bounced back in a big way in both the passing game and running game as he threw his first touchdown pass in a Notre Dame uniform shortly before halftime to stretch the lead to 14-3.

Regardless, Notre Dame is going to need a more complete performance by Leonard next week when unbeaten Louisville comes to town.

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