Duke suffered an absolutely awful double-whammy at the end of their 21-14 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday night.
Blue Devils star quarterback Riley Leonard suffered a right lower leg/ankle injury on a play that effectively ended the game.
Duke was down 21-14 to the Fighting Irish and got the ball back with 31 seconds left at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. On their second play from scrimmage after a touchback, Leonard was sacked by Howard Cross III. Cross forced a fumble that was recovered by Notre Dame to seal the game. Cross also rolled into Leonard’s lower body, seemingly bending the quarterback’s right ankle the wrong direction.
#Duke QB Riley Leonard is injured. pic.twitter.com/qT6RmKMTvT
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhifer) October 1, 2023
Leonard was screaming in pain and grabbing his right ankle after that play. He had to be helped off the field by some teammates. He then spent several minutes in the medical tent on the sidelines and later emerged using crutches to move across the field.
Leonard, a junior quarterback, has been having a strong season. He had led Duke to a 4-0 record entering Saturday night’s game, including a win over Clemson. Riley was 12/27 for 134 yards with a touchdown, an interception, and 88 rushing yards against Notre Dame.
