Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard's girlfriend Molly Walding leads the Fighting Irish to a 27-24 victory over Penn State in Thursday's Orange Bowl and a spot in the College Football Playoff national championship game. After I got my ticket, I felt great.
Walding, a student at Auburn University, shared a series of snapshots on her Instagram Story while celebrating with Leonard.
“Pinch me!!!!!!,” she wrote, including an image of confetti falling during Notre Dame's celebratory rally on the field at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
Another photo showed the couple smiling as Leonard wore a hat that read “Champs.”
“I'm dizzy! A dream come true!!!!!!” Walding added, wearing a custom-made jean jacket with Leonard's name emblazoned on the back.
Leonard and Walding celebrated their seventh anniversary in December last year.
During the post-match interviewsaid Leonard. He was looking for Walding and kept an orange for her.
“I'm looking for a girlfriend, and I'd love to give it to her if I could,” he told SEC Network's Alyssa Lang. He said he had four oranges. “She loves oranges…let's hope she finds one now.”
Leonard left the game with an injury before halftime, but when he returned, he gave a gutsy performance in the second half.
The quarterback took a hard hit late in the first half and entered concussion protocol.
Leonard completed 15 of 23 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He also had 35 yards rushing, including several key third-down conversions, and ran for a score.
Notre Dame has won 13 straight games since losing to Northern Illinois last September.
Notre Dame will be looking to win its first title since 1988 in the championship game, which will be played Jan. 20 in Atlanta against the winner of Ohio State vs. Texas.
The Buckeyes and Longhorns will meet in the other CFP semifinal on Friday night.
