Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish enter a national championship matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes as heavy underdogs.
Ohio State heads into the national title game as an 8-point, per ESPN BET. The Buckeyes have been dominant on their run to the national championship, defeating Tennessee, Oregon and Texas, all by double digits.
Despite Ohio State being the so-called sleeping giant that many fans in the college football world are referring to as the clear favorite, Notre Dame’s quarterback had a clear message before the game.
Leonard took to social media to share a message about the Fighting Irish’s chance at victory. “Holding the pen,” Leonard captioned the post.
The message included an inspirational video touting Notre Dame’s run to the title, referencing a quote from Winston Churchill: “History will be kind to me because I intend to write its pages.”
The video ends with the voice of Leonard from an interview after the Orange Bowl, echoing head coach Marcus Freeman’s halftime speech: “You know, history is written by conquerors, and we’re holding the pen.”
Leonard has helped the Fighting Irish ride a 13-game win streak heading into the national title game. En route to the matchup against Ohio State, Notre Dame has defeated Indiana, Georgia and Penn State in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
So far this season, Leonard has thrown for 19 touchdowns and 2,606 yards with a 66.4 completion percentage. The dual-threat QB also has scored 16 touchdowns and rushed for 866 yards on 167 carries.
The national championship is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will be televised on ESPN.
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