Fans were saying the same thing after watching backup quarterback Steve Angeli play for Notre Dame during the Orange Bowl on Thursday night.
Angeli entered the College Football Playoff semifinal game between his Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second quarter after Riley Leonard was temporarily knocked out of the game. Angeli looked good and moved the Fighting Irish down the field for a field goal.
Angeli looked so good that he had people saying he might be a better option than Leonard.
Steve Angeli looks really good. Much better than Riley Leonard.
— Nick Kayal (@NickKayal) January 10, 2025
Angeli might give ND a better shot tbh
— Stuckey (@Stuckey2) January 10, 2025
Honestly like Penn State better against Riley Leonard than this Angeli. He’s good.
— Jack Mac (@JackMacCFB) January 10, 2025
Is Angeli better than Leonard?
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 10, 2025
The backup QB for Notre Dame, Angeli, looks better than Riley Leonard! Decisive and accurate! Keep him in the game! #CapitalOneOrangeBowl #CFBPlayoff #GoIrish #NittanyLions pic.twitter.com/RufgtVOK64
— Big Chrizzle 🇺🇸 (@BigChrizzle) January 10, 2025
Steve Angeli is kinda cooking? 🧑🍳
pic.twitter.com/XN552yQxZ0— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) January 10, 2025
Coaches need to have a serious discussion during halftime about letting Angeli play the rest of the game
— Sidelines – Notre Dame ☘️ (@SSN_NotreDame) January 10, 2025
Leonard had been checked out for a possible concussion. He was able to return in the second half and led the Fighting Irish on two touchdown drives in three possessions to help his team take its first lead of the game. He seemed to quiet any concerns about who is the better option for the Irish. But it sure was nice to have a capable player like Angeli take over and keep things going when it was needed.
