Riley Leonard injury: Update on Duke QB ahead of Louisville game

Where things stand with Riley Leonard ahead of the Duke vs. Louisville football game

Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard is a game-time decision for No. 20 Duke's game against No. 18 Louisville on Saturday, according to multiple reports.

The belief among coaches and trainers is that it's more likely than not that Leonard will be able to start the game as he recovers from an ankle injury last week.

Leonard will test the ankle during pre-game warm-ups before coaches make a final decision.

Leonard originally injured the ankle a few weeks ago in the final moments of a loss to Notre Dame, but the ailment was re-aggravated as a result of Florida State lineman Braden Fiske's illegal hit against the quarterback last Saturday.

Leonard, who walked gingerly off the field after the hit, had requested to re-enter that game, but was denied permission from the coaching staff. 

Duke led the Seminoles at the time, but lost the game after allowing 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, falling to 5-2.

Integral to Duke's initial 4-0 start to the season that included an upset over then-No. 9 ranked Clemson, Leonard has completed 60.6 percent of his pass attempts for 981 yards. And although he has just 3 TD passes, the quarterback is an able runner, adding 339 yards on the ground with a 7.1 ypc average and 4 additional scores.

Leonard's rushing production has helped Duke average just under 199 yards per game, averaging 19th nationally.

Duke has lost two of the last three games and sits at 5th place in the ACC. It comes into Saturday's game as four-point underdogs to the Cardinals.

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