NOTRE DAME, Ind. (WSBT) — Big crowds and loud environments are nothing new for senior quarterback Riley Leonard.
He's used to it.
While waiting for the players' press conference on Tuesday night, media could clearly hear the Aggies' cheers and crowd noise from outside the practice facility, louder than at previous practices.
Leonard likened his preparation at A&M to playing in front of crowds at Florida State or Virginia Tech and said he's prepared for the 100,000-plus fans expected at Kyle Field.
“It's a big crowd, something you always dream about as a kid, and you want to play in a moment like this,” Leonard said. “I think it's a really cool and amazing opportunity. My mindset is just to be a kid again and enjoy this. Obviously, I've played in front of big crowds in big environments, I've practiced with speakers, so I think I'm pretty prepared. More than anything, I'm just really excited.”
Marcus Freeman added Monday that he has full confidence in his quarterback.
“He's obviously played in big-game environments throughout his career, and he's done his job really well throughout his career,” Freeman said. “I have a lot of confidence in him, not just from what he's done so far, but the confidence he's earned here.”
“We try to create pressure situations in practice. We can't have 100,000 fans at practice, but [reporters] That might be something he likes. What we're trying to do is create pressure situations and see how the team performs. Riley has performed really well in those situations.”