Why Riley Leonard was desperate to find girlfriend after Notre Dame’s Orange Bowl win
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard’s girlfriend, Molly Walding was on cloud nine after he led the Fighting Irish to a 27-24 victory over Penn State in the Orange Bowl Thursday to punch their ticket to the College Football National Championship.
Walding, who is a student at Auburn, shared a series of snapshots while celebrating with Leonard on her Instagram Story.
“PINCH ME!!!!!!!” she wrote, including an image of confetti falling during Notre Dame’s celebratory huddle on the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Another photo showed the couple smiling as Leonard sported a hat that read “Champs” on it.
“I’M GIDDY! turning dreams into reality!!!!!!!!” added Walding, who was wearing a custom jean jacket with Leonard’s name painted across the back.
Leonard and Walding celebrated seven years of dating last December.
During a postgame interview, Leonard said he was looking for Walding and that he saved an orange for her.
“I’m looking for my girlfriend, hopefully I can give her one,” he told SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang, who mentioned he was carrying four oranges. “She loves oranges… let’s hope we find her right now.”
Leonard had a gutsy second-half performance when he returned after leaving the game due to an injury before halftime.
The quarterback took a big hit at the end of the first half and went into concussion protocol.
Leonard finished 15 of 23 passing for 223 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also had 35 yards rushing, including several crucial third-down conversions, and ran for a score.
It was Notre Dame’s 13th straight victory since a loss to Northern Illinois last September.
Notre Dame is trying to win their first title since 1988 in the championship game, which will take place on Jan. 20 in Atlanta against the winner of Ohio State and Texas.
The Buckeyes and Longhorns play Friday night in the other CFP semifinal.
