Riley Leonard throws three touchdowns and runs for another in No. 11 Notre Dame's 49-7 win over Stanford

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – It turns out the only thing that could stop Notre Dame's offense in a stunning win over rival Stanford was bad weather.

Riley Leonard threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score in No. 11 Notre Dame's 49-7 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

Due to a lightning strike in the South Bend area, the game was delayed for about an hour. But when the time came, the game was already over.

Notre Dame (5-1) passed the ball on its first drive to Stanford (2-4), which reached the end zone moments later and took an early 7-0 lead. But the Irish responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Riley Leonard.

From that point on, everything was called Notre Dame.

Leonard threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, a 15-yard strike to Jayden Thomas and a 5-yard pass to Kris Mitchell, giving the Irish a 21-7 halftime lead.

Three minutes into the third quarter, Notre Dame defender Joshua Burnham deflected a Stanford option throw to himself to give the Irish the ball deep in Cardinal territory. Two plays later, Jadarian Price found a score on a 16-yard run.

On Notre Dame's next drive, it was Jeremiyah Love's turn as he ran 39 yards to the end zone, scoring a touchdown in each of Notre Dame's first six games.

Leonard threw his third touchdown pass of the day, a 5-yarder to Eli Raridon, on Notre Dame's ensuing drive, giving the Irish a 42-7 lead after three quarters.

Notre Dame didn't let the long lightning delay slow them down and put the finishing touches on the big win early in the fourth quarter with a 19-yard touchdown run by Aneyas Williams.

Leonard was 16 of 22 passing for 229 yards and three scores. He ran six times for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame's defense stopped Stanford's offense after its opening drive. The Irish recorded four sacks and stopped the Cardinal three times on attempts in the fourth.

The Irish will travel to Atlanta next Saturday, October 19th to take on Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN.

Copyright 2024 WNDU. All rights reserved.