Leonard, who opened Saturday's game with three straight TD drives, was the QB the Irish envisioned when he arrived via the transfer portal.

Notre Dame (4-1) earned a hard-fought victory over Louisville (3-1) this weekend, giving the Fighting Irish their third straight win. The 16th-ranked Fighting Irish beat the 15th-ranked Cardinals by a 31-24 score. Notre Dame led for over 52 minutes of the game and used a fast start and an crucial finish to earn the victory.

Running back Jeremiah Love got it started with a 6-yard plunge, then quarterback Riley Leonard found wide receiver Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard score. To cap off the flurry, Leonard ran one in from 4-yards away after Notre Dame recovered a botched snap on a punt.

The Irish could have easily folded immediately after Devyn Ford fumbled the opening kickoff. While they did give up a touchdown, they didn’t hold their head down for long. The Irish would go on to score on their first three possessions, all touchdowns, giving them a solid 21-7 cushion after the first quarter.

Irish Breakdown gives you all the ways to watch and listen to the football matchup between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Louisville Cardinals

Riley Leonard passed for two touchdowns and ran for one more, and No. 16 Notre Dame held off No. 15 Louisville for a 31-24 win on Saturday afternoon in South

Shortly after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish recovered a huge fumble against the Louisville Cardinals, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard found a wide-open Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard touchdown pass.