Notre Dame scored the first point against Northern Illinois thanks to the legs of quarterback Riley Leonard.
Leonard scored the first touchdown of the Fighting Irish’s home game, capping a balanced, methodical attack. Even a holding penalty couldn’t stop the Irish from moving the ball. Leonard completed 4 of 5 passes in the attack, but it was his running ability that gave the Irish the win with an 11-yard run with 8:28 left in the first quarter.
There was a brief delay while the referees reviewed the play to see if Leonard was close to the end zone. He may have been, but there was not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field, so the touchdown stood.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame Week 2 Highlight: Riley Leonard runs it in