Jeremiyah Love’s 21-yard scoring run was the difference as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish began their 2024 season with a hard-fought 23-13 win over the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday night. Love’s scamper came with just under two minutes remaining to break a tie game, with the Irish also adding a clinching field goal in the final minute of action.
The dramatic contest took place before a whopping crowd of over 107,000 at Kyle Field in College Station and saw plenty of hiccups by both teams along the way. For Notre Dame, the victory should offer a huge momentum boost as it looks to be part of the playoff picture come December.
Below are some of the key facets of the game:
Clutch When It Counts
Until that final field goAl, neither team was able to put together two consecutive scoring drives. Both teams had to wait until after intermission before finding the end zone, with the Aggies knotting the score at 13 with 10:49 to play. After each team failed to move the ball, the Irish took over at their own 15 with 6:12 left. Facing a third-and-five situation, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard extended the drive by finding Jaden Greathouse for nine yards.
From there, the combination of a Leonard completion to Beaux Collins and a run by the signal-caller gained 31 yards. Love then finished off the drive, with a one-yard advancement sandwiched between an 18-yard run and the winning score. After stopping Texas A&M on downs, the Irish made the potentially risky decision to go for the clinching field goal that paid off.
Penalty Pain
One aspect of this game that Marcus Freeman will undoubtedly pinpoint is the countless penalties that continually cost his team. For the game, the Irish were flagged 11 times for 99 yards, with the struggles of the revamped offensive line one of the causes for that surge. Still, early on, it was the Notre Dame defensive line’s offside calls that helped A&M notch its first field goal.
The Aggies also managed to shoot themselves in the foot as well during the first half and finished with six penalties for 55 yards. A&M’s first penalty came after a late hit on Leonard after he’d gained a first down and led to the first of three field goals by Mitch Jeter. After the break, a false start on a fourth-down effort helped end that drive.
A Mixed Bag of Running
For the game, the Irish ended up with 198 yards rushing, a number that would have been seen as absurd during most of the first half. That’s because following the first period, Notre Dame had gained just 10 yards on the ground. During these struggles, Leonard was the only runner of note for the Irish and his output was modest at best.
Hints of a breakthrough finally emerged with approximately five minutes to go before halftime. Yet, it wouldn’t be until the third quarter that such efforts paid off, with Jadarian Price’s 47-yard run giving the Irish a 13-6 advantage. Price and Love entered this year as the top candidates to replace Audric Estime and finished the night with a combined 135 yards.
Defense in Midseason Form
Holding the Aggies to a single touchdown over 60 minutes offered early indications that the success of last year’s Notre Dame defensive unit appears ready to continue. For the game, A&M was held to just 246 yards and Aggie quarterback Conner Weigman managed to only throw for 100 yards, completing just 12 of 30 passes.
The big-play capability of the Irish defenders reared its head with a pair of interceptions, the only turnovers during the contest. The first came on a pick from Adon Shuler that led to a field goal while the second came before the end of the half when Xavier Watts notched his first interception of the season.
Third Down Woes
Greathouse’s third-down grab on the winning drive was vitally important, especially because of Notre Dame’s struggles in that department. For the game, the Irish managed to convert on just two of their 12 third-down opportunities, a frustrating problem that needs to be eliminated or at least reduced.
From the outset, it was clear that the situation needed to be addressed. Notre Dame was able to bide its time due to the team’s defensive performance. Freeman twice decided to go for it on fourth down, the first time from the Irish 29. That succeeded but a subsequent try near midfield missed by inches.
Next Up
Notre Dame gets back to more familiar surroundings as it faces the first of two MAC opponents against the Northern Illinois Huskies. The two football programs have never met, with the Huskies also facing the challenging prospect of trying to become the first school from their conference to knock off the Irish. Northern Illinois also began its 2024 campaign on Saturday, easily coasting to a 54-15 victory as heavy favorites over in-state rival, Western Illinois.
