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No. 7 Notre Dame’s offense came through big in the second half to claim a 23-13 win over No. 20 Texas A&M.
RB Jeremiyah Love scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 21-yard run on the first play inside the two-minute timeout to cap an eight-play drive that went 85 yards in 4:29.
A&M had a chance to tie or take the lead with 1:54 left, but Notre Dame defensive back Christian Gray jumped the route on a fourth-down pass to force an incompletion and Texas A&M was unable to pick up a first down. Notre Dame then scored three points with 30 seconds left to officially put the game out of reach.
After the two teams traded a pair of field goals each in the first half, Notre Dame scored the game’s first touchdown in the third quarter when Jadarian Price made a 47-yard touchdown run down the sideline.
A&M tied the game again in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when Le’Veon Moss scored a 1-yard touchdown on the 10th play of a 65-yard drive. The teams traded punts after Moss’ touchdown before Notre Dame went on its game-winning drive.
Notre Dame’s ground game won
Former Duke QB Riley Leonard was far more effective on the ground than in the air in his first game in a Notre Dame uniform.
On Saturday night, the Fighting Irish rushed 34 times for 198 yards, and Leonard had 12 carries for 63 yards. Love led the team with 14 carries for 91 yards, and Price had just 44 yards on eight carries despite the 47-yard touchdown run.
Leonard completed 18 of 30 passes for 158 yards as Notre Dame struggled to find anything through the air. He rushed twice for 18 yards on the game-winning drive and also connected with Beaux Collins for a decisive 20-yard pass before Love scored the go-ahead touchdown.
The success on the field was a statement of intent for Notre Dame’s offensive line, which needed to replace several starters from last season. The Irish were not outmatched up front by the Aggies’ defensive line and opened up gaps in the second half.
Texas A&M’s offensive woes
This was Collin Klein’s first game as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator. The former K-State offensive coordinator showed a creative side early in the game, but A&M’s offense stagnated as the game progressed.
Conner Weigman had a rough night. The quarterback was making his first start since a foot injury sidelined him four games into the 2023 season and he only completed 12 of 30 passes for 100 yards and two interceptions. The Aggies’ longest pass of the night was 18 yards and they just couldn’t get the ball downfield.
Weigman showed potential in his brief stint as A&M’s starter last season, so his performance Saturday night isn’t a referendum on his potential as the Aggies’ starter. But it was clear the Aggies missed Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart. Smith played his final season of college football last season, while Stewart transferred to Oregon in the offseason. Jahdae Walker and Noah Thomas returned as the Aggies’ top receivers, but they combined for just 41 yards on seven receptions Saturday night.
The Irish’s road to the playoffs
If A&M wins at least eight games in 2024, a Notre Dame victory could prove crucial to the Irish’s playoff hopes. Florida State, a team that lost to Georgia Tech in Week 0, and USC are the only other teams on Notre Dame’s schedule that were ranked in the AP Top 25 entering the season.
The schedule lines up nicely for Notre Dame to win 10 or more games, but the quality of those wins will matter, too. And unless an unranked team on the schedule has a breakout season, Notre Dame will need A&M to have a strong season to bolster its playoff resume at the end of the year.
