ATLANTA — The bar for legendary status is high at Notre Dame. After all, this is the school that gave us Rudy, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Knute Rockne, and "Win a Game for Jeep." You have to work hard to put your name next to these legends.

That said... leading your team to an amazing touchdown, demonstrating your belief on national television, and then vomiting on the sideline, all in the span of about 30 seconds, might qualify.

Riley Leonard and Notre Dame failed to win the national championship Monday night, falling to Ohio State 34-23. To be honest, they haven't been in the game very long. Ohio State scored on its first five possessions to take a 31-7 lead and was never too concerned about Notre Dame after the opening possession.

Oh, but what a start. Notre Dame entered the game as an 8.5-point underdog with most analysts giving them little to no chance, but Notre Dame orchestrated an 18-play, 75-yard drive after the kickoff under Leonard's guidance , devouring the first 9 minutes and 45 seconds of the time clock.

The drive featured not one, but two fourth-and-1 gambles as Leonard threw himself into the teeth of the Ohio State defense. He converted both into goals and then carried the ball into the end zone himself. Leonard's final route on the play: 31 yards passing, 34 yards rushing, and a touchdown.

In that touchdown, Leonard once again crossed the foul line and stepped directly on the "R" in "Notre Dame." Spotting a television camera behind the end zone, he raised his right arm and displayed a Bible verse on his wrist—Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; It will be exalted."

After the game, he showed his typical humility, praising his teammates and opponents. He leans heavily on his faith, shows grace in defeat, and acknowledges the faith of Ohio State players and himself.

“I love seeing godly people excel no matter the circumstances,” he said. “I also enjoy praising Jesus in my lowest moments.”

As for that opening drive, for Leonard, it was the purest distillation of what he and the Irish offense could do.

"We just came out and played Notre Dame football and capitalized on our game when we had to," Leonard said after the game. "We just drove the ball down the field. We had to run the ball a little bit. Everything was just right."

In short, it was a perfect drive. But that's an unsustainable pace, and everyone on the Notre Dame sideline knows it.

"We can't run Riley every play," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said afterward. "That's not the right fit for Riley and doesn't sustain the success we need offensively."

"If a coach wants to call my number and have me run the ball every play," Leonard said, "I don't have any problem with that."

However, as Leonard left the court, it was clear something was going on. He started vomiting on the sidelines. He chalked it up to falling on the ball a few times, which is certainly possible. But regardless of whether the inner pain affected him, Leonard admitted he wasn't the same quarterback the rest of the first half.

"Maybe I'll relax a little bit the next few drives, but I can't let that happen," he said. "I apologize to everyone for my performance after the rush in the second quarter because it was unacceptable."

Leonard found his rhythm again in the second half, hitting Jaden Greathouse for 34- and 30-yard touchdowns.

"That was the message at halftime," Leonard said. "We have nothing to lose. This is the last game no matter what. Might as well go out and throw rocks and trust your guys."

But by then, the damage had been done and the deficit was too great to overcome. Ohio State could run out of time on the game and Leonard's college career. Final line: 22-for-31, 255 yards, 2 touchdowns through the air, 1 touchdown on the ground, no interceptions. Against the national champion, you can expect a clean game, which could help Leonard's future development. Heading to Mobile for the Senior Bowl and the wait — perhaps a long wait — for that call on NFL draft weekend. But he’s engraved his name into Notre Dame lore, and he’s fine with that.

“The character of this place is kind of hard to describe,” he said Monday night. “I feel like I grew because of the people around me.”

Just before he headed to Atlanta for his final trip of the season, Leonard visited the Grotto on Notre Dame’s campus. The Grotto, a small cave used for prayer and contemplation, gave Leonard a chance to reflect on his life and football career. After spending three years at Duke, through ups and downs, injuries and wins, he's coming off a magical season at Notre Dame, leading the team from an early-season loss to Northern Illinois. Recovered and led the way to the national championship.

"If you told me like you did five years ago, and I would be sitting here today, I would say you were right," he said earlier this week, "but at the same time, I would say, 'How did we get there? , man? Yeah, it’s been a wild ride.”

On Monday night, the journey ended. But what a journey it has been for Leonard and Notre Dame. “I don’t even know who I was before Notre Dame,” he said after the game, pointing to Freeman and linebacker Jake Kizer. “It all comes down to the guys around me and the rest of the guys in the locker room. ."

About that locker room. Before the game, Leonard wrote another Bible verse on his hand: Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, one person sharpens another." Leonard has made the entire Irish team this year More powerful. He may not be in Jeep territory yet, but it will be a long time before the Irish forget what Riley Leonard has done for them this year and tonight.