Observations after Notre Dame escaped Texas A&M in Saturday night thriller

Notre Dame and Texas A&M gave fans an electrifying start to the prime-time slate of the 2024 season, at the landmark of Kyle Field.

“Home of the 12th Man” and the Texas A&M Aggies, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish could not have been faced with a bigger task. Under head coach Marcus Freeman, the blue and gold arose to the call. 

In what was a thrilling top-25 Week 1 opener, Notre Dame silenced all critics (including College Gameday) with a 23-13 victory.

Most teams would prefer an ugly win over a sexy loss and the Irish replicated this to perfection. Senior kicker Mitch Jeter secured the victory with a 46-yard field goal in the final moments of the game. 

Here is what I saw….

Mike Elko and Riley Leonard Homecoming 

The big headliner of this game was the matchup regarding the former Duke partnership between Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard and Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko. 

These two have a long relationship dating back to their days at Duke where both faced the likes of Notre Dame last season. This unbelievable storyline just added to the prior excitement but it quickly turned into a competitive duel. 

Notre Dame won the coin toss and elected to defer giving Elko and his offense the first jab. The Aggie offense got out to a hot start under Conner Weigman’s control. Ultimately, A&M settled for a field goal. On the next drive, Leonard and the Irish offense matched this with a field goal of their own. 

A point to note in this whole saga is the defensive mind that is Mike Elko. Having known all the tendencies and traits that make Riley Leonard so good, it was crucial that A&M’s defense would respond. 

The Aggies held a clear upfront advantage, presenting no time for Riley Leonard. Given this atmosphere, the loud noise, and the instant pressure out of the gate, Leonard was thrown straight into the fire.

Leonard had to adapt to the immense pressure and as a result, rushed some passes and found difficulty in extending plays. 

The slow start between the two offenses ultimately prompted the unique side of Riley Leonard. The duel threat began to shine through the midst of a neck-and-neck game and the Irish led by Riley Leonard were not afraid to use that ability.

Marcus Freeman rushed Leonard in two different fourth-down sets in Irish territory; the trust in Leonard’s rushing ability was certainly there. 

Eventually, this allowed Leonard to somewhat open up the passing game.

The third quarter seemed like Notre Dame’s first real drive where they glued all the pieces together within the pass-and-run game. This sparked a long rushing touchdown from Jadarion Price after a few short passes from Leonard. 

Overall, Leonard had a weird combination of composure and miscommunications. He straight-up missed some open targets and as mentioned struggled with passing on the run. As a true playmaker Leonard lacked, but give credit where credit is due, Elko had some great calls. 

By all means, Leonard did not have the best of games, but he got it done and defeated his former coach on the road.

Notre Dame penalty galore / battle of the trenches 

If you want to talk about shooting yourself in the foot, look no further than the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Here we are primarily addressing the offensive line. And man, that is going to be an ugly film session. 

Rolling out a pair of true freshmen is a bold move. Considering the defensive front of Texas A&M, it was no easy task for anyone on the offensive line. But for this matter, the penalties were brutal. 

The formula is not probable. True freshmen, plus an experienced defensive line, plus one of the loudest stadiums in America, do not quite make for success. What this did allow for was an abundance of penalties that were excruciating to offensive drives. 

In particular, the left side of Notre Dame’s line was getting eaten alive. Sam Pendleton and Anthonie Knapp were two frequent victims of false start penalties.

Up until the second half, Notre Dame really struggled to move the ball via the passing game. Subsequently, the front five were doing no favors to Riley Leonard and Mike Denbrock. 

Not to mention the overwhelming pressure thrown onto Riley Leonard. We knew the A&M defensive front was good, but this unit simply torched the Irish’s offensive front. Nic Scourton was the stud to A&M’s front that posed a major threat immediately — and he never went away.

Defensively, the Irish had a jippy start as well. There were roughly three offside penalties on the very first drive. As a result Texas A&M stroke first blood. Once this unit was able to settle in, the defense became the focal point of this victory. 

The fact that Notre Dame played the most sloppy and undisciplined brand of football upfront and still was able to win is a very positive indication.

One of my preseason concerns with the Irish was the need for more continuity specifically on the offensive front, but I truly believe that this unit can gel together within a few weeks. 

As Kirk Herbstreit stated, “Everyone starts somewhere.” While it was messy, this start has to be a huge wave of momentum and confidence boost for these rookies upfront. 

Irish display elite defense

Possibly the biggest takeaway from this game is the Irish defense. We knew it was good, but the question now becomes who can stop this defense? 

Led by Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts, this squad is nothing short of elite. Let’s not sugarcoat it, the demand on this defense was heavy from the very first snap. Freeman put the defense in a lot of vulnerable positions, as mentioned going for it on fourth down twice in Irish territory. 

What is not to like? The secondary is one of the best in all of college football and upfront the Irish pose threats with both Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III. Just to reiterate, the offense put the defense in no position for success during the first half.

Realistically, Notre Dame should have gone into the break with at least a touchdown lead on the Aggies. 

Xavier Watts and Adon Shuler both picked off Conner Weigman in the first half, yet the offense could not capitalize. Speaking of Conner Weigman, Notre Dame held him in check as he threw for just 100 yards on 12/30 attempts. 

This defense is legit. There are playmakers on all ends of the field, and this should relieve a lot of pressure off the back of Marcus Freeman and his offense. 

Read more: