Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard thanks fans for coming to Sugar Bowl in New Orleans after terror attack

The show went on in New Orleans roughly 36 hours after a terror attack hit the city.

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, at least 15 people were killed and dozens others were injured after Shamsud-Din Jabbar allegedly drove a white pick-up truck into a crowd of people in the French Quarter.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl was set to be played just a couple of miles away on Wednesday night, but it was postponed to Thursday afternoon.

Despite the delay, the Caesars Superdome was packed, as Notre Dame took a 23-10 victory over Georgia to advance in the College Football Playoff.

It was unclear for at least a little while about when, and potentially even where, the game would be played. However, albeit with security heightened, all went normal during the game on Thursday.

After being named the Offensive Player of the Game, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard thanked the Fighting Irish fans for coming out to the game in what surely is a confusing and scary time.

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“It’s been a very hard week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected a couple days ago. We’re praying for them. But for all these Notre Dame fans to show up anyway, it means the world to us. We felt them all game, I promise you,” Leonard said to ESPN on stage.

Before the game, there was a moment of silence for the victims, and chants of “USA” rang through the crowd after the national anthem.

Jabbar’s truck was flying an ISIS flag during the attack. He was killed after a shootout with police.

Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, drove a rented Ford pick-up truck with weapons and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) into a crowd of New Year’s revelers at approximately 3:15 a.m. local time on Wednesday, killing at least 15 and injuring more than 30 others. Authorities said other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter. 

Authorities say Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran who recently held a six-figure job, opened fire on law enforcement officers, who returned fire, and was declared dead at the scene. 

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

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