Notre Dame football relied on defense and the legs of Riley Leonard to keep their season alive on Jan. 2. The Fighting Irish are now positioned to clinch their first national championship game appearance since the 2012 season.

Courtesy of Molly Walding/Instagram Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard and his girlfriend, Molly Walding, have a love story almost a decade in the making. Leonard, 22, and Walding have been in each other’s lives since they both attended Fairhope Middle School in Fairhope,

With just under six minutes left to play in Thursday's Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame held a 23-10 lead against Georgia and faced a third-and-seven. The Fighting Irish