Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore Makes Statement Return with Two INTs vs. Boise State
Notre Dame was without a key piece of its secondary for the last two games as All-American cornerback Leonard Moore sat out with a high ankle sprain.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder returned to the lineup against Boise State and left a lasting impression.
Moore tallied six tackles, two interceptions and forced a fumble in Notre Dame’s 28-7 win over the Broncos.
The key to Moore’s interceptions? Technique.
“It comes down to technique and practice reps,” stated Moore. “Doing the same thing every day in practice, and when the ball comes to me, it's just technical.”
Moore wasn’t the only one to record a pick as Tae Johnson and Luke Talich also picked off Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen. The Irish were +4 in the turnover battle and Moore believed each pick gave Notre Dame momentum.
“It ignites the team, and that's what you wanna see, especially out of the defense,” said Moore. “I think we came to the game goal to get +2, we made it up to +4.”
Moore wouldn’t give a percentage of how his ankle was feeling, but it was good enough to play on. The injury happened when Drayk Bowen fell into him against Texas A&M and Moore knew something was off during the week two clash.
“I knew something was up during the game,” explained Moore. “I was just like, if I can still run a little bit, adrenaline can take me through the game, I'm gonna stick it out. Knowing just what was at stake, what was on the line. It definitely hurt after the game, knowing what it was, a high ankle sprain, but it feels good to be back now.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman gave credit to Moore being ready to play as he didn’t practice much during the week. Freeman also made sure to point out the expectation in his program is for players to practice
“We were able to get him in there, but he didn't practice fully,” Freeman explained. “It shows he's a special player. I don't want to say this too loud because we have players in here, but practice is important. We preach how important practice is. Leonard got enough work that he can go out there and do his job. It's just a confidence, I think, that we have as coaching staff, the team has when he's out there.”
Moore’s time away from the field wasn’t wasted. He used the two weeks to dive deeper into film and mentor Notre Dame’s young cornerbacks, Dallas Golden and Mark Zackery IV.
He knows exactly what they’re experiencing, as he was in their position just a year ago when he was called upon to fill in for Benjamin Morrison.
Those guys are ready and they're hungry,” Moore stated. “They came in every day and they've worked and they've consistently gotten better and consistently can see that week to week. I'm super proud of them.”
Saturday also marked a major step forward for the Notre Dame defense. Boise State managed just five plays of 20 yards or more, with the longest going for 28.
“A huge step,” Moore said. “Obviously, we're not perfect. We're gonna get back in the film room and there's a lot of plays we want back, but that's for next week.”
Big picture, Moore believes the Irish may have found their defensive identity over the last two weeks. He didn’t draw comparisons to last season but said this group is carving out its own path.
“Just getting our identity in check,” said Moore. “We go out there playing fast and playing violent. I wouldn't compare it to anything last year. It's a new group, it's a new team, but we go out there and we play violent.”
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