What an opening drive by Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship game against Ohio State! One quarter into the game and Riley Leonard delivered one of his best performances yet! And for some reason, Pat McAfee, part of ESPN2’s Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show, turned against his fellow announcer who gave a label to the Irish signal caller. 

As Notre Dame takes the lead over Ohio State in the National Championship game, Awful Announcing posted on X, “Pat McAfee had an issue with Darius Butler calling Riley Leonard ‘sneaky fast.’” In the video, as Butler called Riley Leonard “sneaky fast,” Pat McAfee immediately retorted, “what do you mean?” Then he went on to hype the star of the first quarter saying, “He can jump. Do you ever see him jump? He can dance. Do you ever see him dance?”

That’s Pat McAfee’s hype to you but Riley Leonard broke all barriers in the first quarter alone. After Notre Dame got the first possession, he led an outstanding 18-play, 75-yard opening drive that kept the pigskin in their possession for nearly 10 minutes. In this drive, the 22-year-old QB completed 3-of-5 passes for 31 yards and ran the football nine times for another 34 yards which was capped off by a 1-yard TD run that gave the Irish a 7-0 lead over the Buckeyes in the first quarter. 

However, this high-energy performance took a toll on Riley Leonard. As the first quarter rounded off and Notre Dame’s offensive unit retreated to the sidelines, ESPN’s Molly McGrath reported that Leonard was “vomiting” on the sideline. The most possible explanation would be that he’s worked out from his plays. After all, he ran the football nine times on the Irish’s first drive! And one interesting fact is that he never ran the football more than 18 times in a game. 

Riley Leonard’s message after his touchdown

Following his opening-drive TD, the unrivaled star of the first quarter of the National Championship game revealed a message from his wristband. And it’s a Bible verse from the New Testament featuring the gospel of Matthew 23:12. The scripture read, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” It’s a powerful message that anyone can resonate with. 

Riley Leonard and Notre Dame entered this game as an 8.5-point underdog against Ryan Day’s $20M squad. But faith and perseverance gave them an unexpectedly successful first drive that limited the Buckeyes’ chance to score in the opening quarter. The Irish broke a CFP record with their 18-play opening drive and gave OSU Will Howard a chance to complete only four pass attempts for 38 yards before the second quarter. 

It remains to be seen if Riley Leonard can emulate that first-quarter success. Another question is whether OSU can buckle up and mirror Notre Dame’s success in the following quarters.