Notre Dame's Riley Leonard shows faith is top of mind during win over Texas A&M

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Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard’s faith was clearly on his mind as he took snaps for the Fighting Irish against Texas A&M on Saturday night.

Leonard used eye black to make a cross on the left side of his face, where it stayed throughout the entire game as the No. 7 Fighting Irish topped the No. 20 Aggies, 23-13.

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Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (13) passes the ball against the Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

The quarterback, who transferred from Duke, went up against his former head coach with the Blue Devils, Mike Elko, and was 18-of-30 with 158 passing yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass. Instead, running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price rushed for scores.

Additionally, fans caught Leonard wearing a Bible verse around his wrist. The verse was from Matthew 23:12, which states, "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

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Leonard admitted in February that his faith had been a factor when deciding which school he would want to transfer to. The University of Notre Dame is a Catholic institution.

Aug. 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) speaks during a post-game interview at Kyle Field against the Texas A&M Aggies. (Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports)

"Every single person in that city that I came into contact with helped me with my faith. I'm able to bring that here. Obviously that's the most important thing in my life," he told The Irish Tribune at the time. "When I go to bed at night, I’m not thinking, ‘How many touchdown passes did I throw? Did we win or lose?’ I'm thinking, 'Did I better my relationship with Jesus Christ? Did I treat my girlfriend with respect? Did I call my parents?"

It was clearly on display on Saturday night.

Aug. 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) attempts to pass the ball during the first quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field.  (Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports)

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Notre Dame will return home next week for a match-up against Northern Illinois.

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