Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 30, 2024 7 UNDER THE DOME UNDER THE DOME USC's Passing Game Makes It Leonard Moore By Todd D. Burlage About the last thing Notre Dame needed to happen during the home- stretch of its regular season was for the USC Trojans to light a late spark into their nondescript season. Two weeks ago, USC was left for dead after losing four out of five games and dropping to below .500 with starting quarterback Miller Moss. A change was made and a star was born a week later when, on Nov. 16, Moss was benched in favor of red- shirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava, who made his first career start for USC and threw for 3 touchdowns and ran for 1 score in a 28-20 win over Nebraska. One win does not a turnaround make. But Maiava's emergence gives USC something to build upon, and Notre Dame something to fret about heading into their game Nov. 30. Playing for injured All-American Benjamin Morrison, Irish freshman cor- nerback Leonard Moore has been terrific in his five games as a starter. But the USC offense Moore and the Irish defense will see this week isn't the run- reliant Army version, or the underperforming Virginia unit that Notre Dame faced the last two weeks. This is USC, which annually features some of the best wide receivers in the country and can light up even the best pass defenses on any given day. Again, Moore has been arguably the most pleasant surprise on the Irish this year. But the rookie hasn't faced an offense like this, making him the one Irish player who needs to step up more than any other against the Trojans. If QB1 Performs, Notre Dame Is Dancing By Jack Soble We can, have and will discuss every matchup imaginable in advance of the game that, for all intents and purposes, will determine Notre Dame's season. Sometimes, though, it's pretty simple. If senior Riley Leonard plays like the quarterback who has dotted up opposing defenses and killed them with his legs throughout the second half of the season, the Fighting Irish will reach the Col- lege Football Playoff. If he plays like the tentative, inaccurate signal-caller who looked like he saw ghosts at times throughout Weeks 1-4, the Irish will fall short. No pressure. Moments like these, though, are why Notre Dame wanted Leonard to be its starting quarter- back in the first place. Games like these are why the Irish targeted him as soon as he entered the transfer portal back in December. We've already seen it once, when Leonard — after what could be generously described as an uneven first three quarters — engineered an eight-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to beat Texas A&M in Week 1. That, as head coach Marcus Freeman explained all the way back in May, is why Leonard is in South Bend. "He's a competitor," Freeman said. "I don't know what the NFL projects him as. I just know that dude is a competitor. He's a gamer. When the game is on the line, I want to give the ball to him." Notre Dame will give the ball to Leonard with its season on the line in Los Angeles. If he gets the job done, the Irish will be dancing in December. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO NEEDS TO STEP UP WHEN NOTRE DAME FACES USC? Notre Dame graduate student Eric Goins thought his placekicking career was over a long time ago, a very long time ago. A 2015 graduate of The Citadel and a star place- kicker and punter there, Goins carried one last year of NCAA football eligibility with him during the seven years he spent with the U.S. Army as an active-duty officer. When the Hampton, Va., native left the service in 2022, academic pursuits eventually brought him to Notre Dame last spring to pursue a mas- ter's degree in business and global affairs. It was then he decided to dust off his football cleats and walk-on to the Fighting Irish for the 2024 season. And now, eight years after he thought he had hung up his kicking cleats for good, Goins is a 30-year-old member of the Notre Dame team, and a valuable one at that. Goins was hoping but not expecting to be much more than a practice player, but a hip injury to starting Irish placekicker Mitch Jeter Oct. 12 af- forded him the opportunity to take over kickoff duties, and he's performed well enough to pre- sumably hold onto the job the rest of this season. A fascinating and inspirational student-athlete, Goins shared stories before the Army game with Blue & Gold Illustrated and other local media about his road to Notre Dame, his football re- sponsibilities, and what lies ahead. BGI: How much did earning a starting role on kickoffs exceed your expectations at Notre Dame? Goins: "I can't say I expected this, but this is what I hoped for. Playing football is a lot of fun. But playing in football games is even more fun. I'm thankful for the opportunity to do that." BGI: How surprised were you when the oppor- tunity came about? Goins: "Most athletes at a high level have that belief in themselves that I can do this, and will do this. If you don't believe it, then you probably don't get to this level." BGI: Were you considered for starting field goal duties when your teammate was injured? Goins: "The coaching staff wants to play who- ever they feel is best, and I had a chance to com- pete for that but I wasn't their pick then. But fortunately, kicking off was something that they felt I was the guy for, and I'm thankful to contrib- ute however I can." BGI: Did playing against Army, close to home, and in Yankee Stadium carry special meaning? Goins: "Exciting, a good opportunity for our team, an important game to play a good op- ponent. West Point is a great school. I've served with a lot of officers from there that are really good people." BGI: What has your brief but eventful time at Notre Dame meant to you? Goins: "It's a super unique opportunity. Being an old Army officer coming back to play football, I appreciate it a lot. It's been a fun experience to play really meaningful football in mid-November and onward." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … GRADUATE STUDENT PLACEKICKER ERIC GOINS Moore Leonard Eight years after he thought he had hung up his kicking cleats for good, Goins is a 30-year-old member of the Notre Dame team. PHOTO BY MATT RUDOLPH