Notre Dame Freshman CB Leonard Moore Exceeds High Expectations
A lot of players have stepped up for Notre Dame this season to put the Irish one win from a national title, including Leonard Moore.
The freshman cornerback was one youngster Irish sources had pointed to as somebody who could help them even before the season began, but they couldn’t have envisioned needing to count on him this much and having him respond the way he has.
Moore played in every game this season and even started the fourth game against Louisville, but he was truly given a pivotal role when All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison was lost for the season before the Georgia Tech game in Week 7.
Moore didn’t just survive, he thrived, being named Freshman Defensive Player of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America.
“it's definitely a blessing,” Moore said. “I thank God. It's an honor. It's a testament to my teammates and coaches and stuff putting me in position, helping me…each week.
“Right now I'm not worried about that. I'm trying to get a win.”
Moore credited Morrison with helping prepare him all year.
“He's just been a huge role model and mentor for me through every week of the season,” Moore said. “He’s helped me know that no moment is too big. I'm obviously a freshman but never to give myself an excuse.”
Moore may be facing his stiffest test yet against Ohio State’s receiving corps on Monday, but excuses won’t suffice.
“It's definitely a huge game,” Moore said. “Obviously you expect it to be a challenge being the National Championship game. It's definitely going to be about trusting my technique and trusting what we've been doing all year.”
Moore said the Irish don’t expect to change their aggressive style much even against the explosive Buckeye receivers.
“I think definitely a lot of teams have went to the zone mindset when playing them,” he said. “I think Kent State played a decent amount of man. That's their identity.
“I think that going into this game we're not going to change who we are. We're going to play man coverage like we do every week. We're going to go out there and challenge their receivers.”
Moore credited Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden with having that mindset himself.
“He's not playing not to lose,” Moore said. “He's playing to win the game. He's playing to force turnovers. Obviously, he's playing a lot of man coverage, which that helps us out.”
So, Moore will end his freshman season in the same Mercedes Benz Stadium where it get started in a sense.
“It's definitely going to feel weird walking back into that same stadium playing a different team this time,” he said. “But it's going to be cool..
“Obviously that's where it started for me, and that's where it's going to end hopefully with us hoisting a trophy.”
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