Riley Leonard Injury Update: Latest on star QB during Orange Bowl battle

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are dealing with a banged-up offense towards the end of the first half of the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions. They had one of their key pieces suffer an injury as quarterback Riley Leonard exited the game with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.

While getting rid of the football against a tough pass rush, Penn State defensive tackle Dvon J Thomas was able to get pressure and tackle Leonard to the ground. The quarterback's head subsequently hit the turf.

The officials forced him out of the game and appeared to go into concussion protocol but he would not return for the remainder of the first half as backup quarterback Steve Angeli would come off the bench and lead the team to a field goal to end the first half.

When asked at the halftime break about Riley Leonard's status, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman did not have any answers:

"I haven't heard, they're going to check him out right now. They just told me right before the field goal that they don't have an answer right now what it's going to be."

Leonard has not been able to do much during the first half as he has completed 6-of-11 passes for 63 yards with an interception and ran the ball five times for seven yards. It will be interesting to see if Riley Leonard will be able to return to the game for the second half.

What will the game plan look like if Riley Leonard is out?

The Fighting Irish are going to have a tough second half if they are left without their starting quarterback. The game plan could involve fewer quarterback runs as that is one of Leonard's strengths, especially in short-yardage situations.

While Angeli did not look fearful in the final drive of the first half, Penn State could lean on its defense to expect the pass. It will be interesting to see how Notre Dame adjusts in the second half, especially if Riley Leonard does not return to the field.