“It’s hard to, you know, stay optimistic and uh you know, envision yourself, you know, being in the national championship.” Tik-Tok Bible boys cause it is time to face your fears. In a few hours, when Notre Dame takes the gridiron against the Bucks, all eyes are going to be on Marcus Freeman‘s wonderboy Riley Leonard. A concussion wasn’t enough to keep him out of the Penn State game. Yeah, he missed a few final drives but got ND the win with a bomb 54-yard TD pass and pulled up to the 41-yard line for the final nail in the coffin. “I knew I was going to get back out there,” there’s the faith we were looking for Riley. See, for Freeman, this ain’t no “We gonna leave it on God” game. Everyone’s gotta pull their weight and every “good wish” just adds to the luck…

…And for Riley Leonard? It’s his lucky day. Back on IG, Molly Walding, Riley’s fiancee, penned a beautiful message for the QB. “Gameday! So proud and so excited (if I haven’t said it enough already!)!!!!!!! Cheering @riley.jleonard on for the rest of my days!!” She wore an amazing blue denim jacket with Riley’s jersey number and name on it…And that ain’t all. Adding to the surprise, we found Molly’s mother getting in line as well. “Mom crying,” Anna Walding wrote.

Come on, man, you have got it all. 8 year-long relationship that started with both of them as high school sweethearts? We could only dream of something like this. It’s kind of funny and beautiful how their relationship has grown ever so strong over the years.

Despite being in different states since 2021, both have found their way back to each other. Remember ND’s Orange Bowl win? Riley couldn’t wait to find his girl and give her an “orange”. “I’m looking for my girlfriend, hopefully I can give her one. She loves oranges!” the quarterback mentioned.

Even though Marcus Freeman is walking into a death trap, these few words of affection could change the game for the offense. Even though Riley is still going through that surgery scare, these few words are going to keep the lamp lit for now. But what happens when the cold winter air finally seeps in?

Injury woes for Notre Dame

“How long can you ‘put off’ the inevitable.” As much as America wants the Irish to grab that cup, we all know that the Bucks remain the betting favorites, and for good reasons. 2 big-shot SEC teams crossed paths with these guys. Both of em got dog-walked out of the gridiron. 

The North is not playing around, and winter could easily overwhelm the Irish. Plus, Freeman’s offense needs a new hope. A new “Superman”. “It’s a real grind right now for Notre Dame. They’re not getting a ton of push-up front…” Dalton Wasserman had pointed out, and he was not wrong.

With Jeremiyah Love‘s knee injury scare and Beaux Collins‘ calf injury, ND’s running depth is in shambles. Every Irish fan knows that Freeman won’t back down that easily. That chaotic but organized offense is going to keep the Bucks on their toes…

… But what if they fail?

The Vols tried. And OSU scored a 42-pointer game against them. How far can your defense get you when you don’t have enough strength on the offense?