Penn State 5, opposing mobile quarterbacks 0.

Penn State football will face another dual-threat quarterback in Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. But the Nittany Lions defense has already been there and done that.

The Duke transfer has 831 yards on 149 carries and 15 touchdowns on the ground in his first year with the Fighting Irish. Leonard also had 2,383 yards with a 66.5% completion percentage, 18 touchdowns, and six picks through the air.

“The quarterback’s production jumps out at you,” James Franklin said Saturday. “Total production, his impact in the game specifically as a runner and a big body guy, but also can make plays in the passing game.”

Leonard’s numbers aren’t eye-popping by any means. The senior has yet to throw for over 300 yards in a game this season and has five games over 200 yards through the air. In the two College Football Playoff games, he has 291 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and 25 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

But to his head coach Marcus Freeman, it’s Leonard’s toughness and confidence in big moments that stands out the most.

“He is an ultra-competitive individual that finds ways to get his job done,” Freeman said. “It’s never perfect, but in the most crucial moments, he’s going to find a way, and that’s through decision making, that’s through his legs, that’s through having to jump over somebody and flip on his head to get a first down. He’s doing exactly what we’ve asked him to do.”

This isn’t the first time Penn State has faced a quarterback of Leonard’s skill set. The Nittany Lions have faced five quarterbacks who have at least 80 carries this season, and in those games, the defense has rained in the slippery signal callers. Those quarterbacks are West Virginia’s Garrett Greene, Illinois’s Luke Altmyer, Ohio State’s Will Howard, Washington’s Demond Williams Jr., and SMU’s Kevin Jennings.

In those five games, the defense has allowed 55 carries for 14 yards, zero touchdowns, and forced six fumbles while recovering three from those quarterbacks. Through the air, they combined for a 59.3% completion percentage with 783 yards (156.6 yards per game), four touchdowns, and five interceptions.

“We’ve already seen it,” said cornerback Jalen Kimber. “We’ve already game-planned for it. So, we’ve just got to continue to do what we’ve been doing and just be very disciplined.”

“You look at SMU, and it was a very similar situation just in terms of how he [Jennings] was able to run and create explosive plays on his feet and I think we did a tremendous job,” defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas said. “Coach [Tom] Allen did a tremendous job. Our defensive staff did a tremendous job of coaching us and showing us the right way to balance the cage while also being aggressive in our pass rush, and I think it’ll be no different this week, especially with their offensive line.”

Even if Penn State stops Leonard on the ground, Notre Dame has one of the nation’s top backs in Jeremiyah Love. The sophomore reinjured his right knee against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, resulting in a stat line of six carries for 19 yards. However, against Indiana’s No. 1-ranked run defense in the game before, Love recorded 108 yards on eight carries and scored a touchdown.

If Love isn’t 100%, the Fighting Irish still have a 700-yard rusher in Jadarian Price, a 300-yard rusher in Jordan Faison, and a 200-yard back in Aneyas Williams. But no matter who is toting the rock, they will be protected by a solid offensive line.

Notre Dame is notorious for recruiting and developing offensive linemen into NFL talent. The Fighting Irish have had 12 offensive linemen drafted since 2014 and nine of those were drafted in the first two rounds. This year is no different.

Notre Dame has four former 247Sports Composite four-stars on its offensive line, including one top-100 recruit. For how mobile Leonard is, he has only been sacked 16 times this season and the Fighting Irish are 28th in sacks allowed per game. Not to mention the group has also paved the way for the nation’s 15th-best rushing attack.

“Their size is definitely a big component of how they play with that physicality that they play with in terms of their double teams and coming off of that and creating gaps for their running back,” J-Thomas said. “But I think they also have their weaknesses. Of course, we’ll explore those more later this week. But I think our D-line is the best in the country. So I think it’ll be a game for them.”

The biggest reason Penn State was able to stop Jennings in the first round was because it clogged passing lanes and played gap-sound defense. The Nittany Lions will work to do the same in the Orange Bowl against Leonard and Notre Dame’s versatile rushing attack, protected by its stout offense line.

“I love things like this,” defensive tackle Zane Durant said. “I’m a competitor. When the best come out to play, it’s time for our best players to come out and play and that’s what we’re going to do in this upcoming game.”