No. 7 Notre Dame’s offense came up big in the second half for 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 to go, but Notre Dame DB Christian Gray jumped the route on a fourth-down pass to force an incompletion as Texas A&M failed to get a first down. Notre Dame then tacked on three points with 30 seconds to go to officially put the game out of reach.
After the two teams traded a couple of field goals each in the first half, Notre Dame scored the first touchdown of the game in the third quarter when Jadarian Price broke a 47-yard TD run down the sideline.
A&M tied the game again in the fourth quarter’s opening minutes when Le’Veon Moss scored a 1-yard TD on the 10th play of a 65-yard drive. The teams traded punts after Moss’ TD before Notre Dame went on its game-winning drive.
Notre Dame’s run game won out
Former Duke QB Riley Leonard was much more effective on the ground than he was through the air in his first game in a Notre Dame uniform.
The Fighting Irish ran 34 times for 198 yards on Saturday night as 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 TD run.
Leonard was 18-of-30 passing for 158 yards as Notre Dame struggled to find much through the air. He rushed twice for 18 yards on the game-winning drive and also hit Beaux Collins for a clutch 20-yard completion before Love scored the go-ahead TD.
The success on the ground was a statement for a Notre Dame offensive line that needed to replace multiple starters from a season ago. The Irish were not overmatched up front against the Aggies’ defensive line and opened up creases in the second half.
Texas A&M’s offensive struggles
The game was the first for Collin Klein as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator. The former K-State play caller showed a creative side early in the game, but A&M’s offense stagnated as the game went on.
Conner Weigman had a rough night. The QB was making his first start since a season-ending foot injury four games into the 2023 season and was just 12-of-30 for 100 yards and two interceptions. The Aggies’ longest completion of the night was 18 yards and they simply couldn’t throw the ball down the field.
Weigman showed promise in his brief time as A&M’s starter a season ago, so his performance on Saturday night is not a referendum on his potential as the Aggies’ starter. But it was clear that the Aggies missed Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart. Smith played his final season of college football a season ago, while Stewart transferred to Oregon in the offseason. Jahdae Walker and Noah Thomas came back as the Aggies’ leading returning receivers, but they combined for just 41 yards on seven catches on Saturday night.
The Irish’s path to the playoff
If A&M wins at least eight games in 2024, Notre Dame’s victory could turn out to be crucial for 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 who were ranked in the AP Top 25 to start the season.
The schedule lines up really well for Notre Dame to win 10 games or more. But the quality of those wins will matter too. And unless someone unranked on the schedule has a breakout season, Notre Dame will need A&M to have a good season to bolster its playoff resume at the end of the year.
