Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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54 SEPT. 12, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED I n his weekly press confer‑ ence before Wisconsin took on Notre Dame, Badgers head coach Luke Fickell was asked how he accounts for a cornerback like Leonard Moore. His response, to the surprise of many, was not "avoid him like the plague." "We've got to not just think that we can't go in that direc‑ tion," Fickell said. "I'm not say‑ ing he's not the best in the coun‑ try. I'm not saying he's not a top two to three pick in the country. But the idea is you still have to be able to run your offense." When presented with his for‑ m e r b oss ' co m m e n ts, No t re Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock chuckled for a solid three seconds. He had heard them, of course. But he laughed in part because he felt Fickell's pain. Not only as the offensive coor‑ dinator at Notre Dame, which requires facing Moore in practice every day, but as Fickell's OC at Cincinnati from 2017‑21. "I think what Coach Fickell was try‑ ing to get at with that was, we had a really good corner at Cincinnati named Sauce Gardner," Denbrock said. "He played that boundary spot that Leon‑ ard plays for us. And I couldn't not go at him. You have to do something over there, just to keep the defense honest and keep them from just putting the screws to you." Therein lies the dilemma that Moore, who is indeed the best cornerback in the country, presents opposing offenses. Whether Fickell was being truthful or not — and, frankly, smart money is on "not" — he brought up an interesting point. Targeting Moore is, statistically speaking, a very bad idea. Quarterbacks did it 48 times in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. They completed 26 of those passes (54.2 percent) for 201 yards (4.2 yards per attempt) with 3 touch‑ downs and 5 interceptions. It's not an ideal choice to make when you're trying to win a football game. But as Denbrock explained, com‑ pletely ignoring Moore shrinks your passing game to just one side of the field. Not only does that severely limit your playbook, but it also allows the defense to key in on the side being targeted. Testing to the boundary is still neces‑ sary, but it will look different against a cornerback of Moore's caliber. In other words, No. 15 changes the rules. "It's a Catch‑22 a little bit," Denbrock said. "You don't want to put the ball in jeopardy. And every time you throw at Leonard, there's an opportunity for him to create a turnover and get the ball in his hands. But also, you got to be careful and you have to have enough balance to what you're doing in the passing game that you're not scared to do it." 'GOOD LUCK TO 'EM' If CJ Carr had it his way, Wisconsin — and everyone else — would throw at Moore every single play. "Yeah, good luck," Carr said. "I hope they try. I hope they do. For me, there's always a temptation." For Carr and the Notre Dame offense, it's somewhere between a goal and a running joke to get one over on Moore. He referenced a touchdown he threw recently in practice. As he ran down the field to celebrate, junior offensive tackle Guerby Lambert told him, "That was a really good ball. I wish it was on Leonard." "That's always kind of the theme coming out of a practice," Carr said. "Can we get him to‑ day? It's hard." What makes it harder is the rest of Notre Dame's defense, which can hurt you if you become too predictable. Specifically, oppos‑ ing quarterbacks must contend with junior safety Brauntae John‑ son. When the Irish play two‑ high coverage, Johnson plays the field side. When they play single‑ high, he's going to shade toward the field, while Moore locks down the boundary. It's the ripple effect of a shut‑ down cornerback. Throw away from him and you're throwing it toward Johnson, who — as Carr well knows — will intercept anything that moves. To a certain extent, Carr also needs to try Moore's side of the field in order to evaluate his boundary targets. He likes what he sees, particularly from junior Micah Gilbert, who will start for the Irish. But he's aware it's not the best plan. "Practice is a time where you have to test out who can go make plays for you in the boundary," Carr said. "It's a fine line between seeing what you've got and who can go make those plays and also remembering it's Leonard Moore." It's worth noting that Carr was not surprised when asked about Fickell's comments. He doesn't tend to be on social media during the season, but he had clearly heard them. Reporters didn't talk to Moore before Notre Dame took on Wisconsin, but odds are he'd heard them, too. Whether the Badgers acted on Fick‑ ell's words or not, Notre Dame defen‑ sive coordinator Chris Ash knows he has the chess pieces to outmatch just about anyone. "They have a game plan," Ash said. "They have to execute it. Good luck to 'em." ✦ Moore is the best cornerback in the country, making Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell's comments about throwing in his direction eye- opening. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER 'Good Luck' Throwing At Leonard Moore Staff writer Jack Soble has covered Notre Dame athletics for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2023. Contact him at Jack.Soble@on3.com. OFF THE DOME JACK SOBLE