Playing in one of the most hostile environments in college football, No.7 Notre Dame outlasted No. 20 Texas A&M to escape College Station with a Week 1 win on Saturday night. The young Irish, led by quarterback Riley Leonard, outscored the Aggies 17-7 in the second half for a 23-13 road victory at Kyle Field.
Despite sloppy play and several miscues, including 11 penalties for 99 yards, Notre Dame’s hard-fought win proved to be a statement victory of sorts. The win was the first for Notre Dame against a ranked SEC opponent since a win over Tennessee (No.9) in 2004.
Notre Dame Overcomes Miscues to Down Texas A&M
All Four Quarters
The biggest question mark heading into the Week One contest was the young, inexperienced offensive line. The Irish struggled in the trenches for much of the game. But the five guys up front, including freshman Anthonie Knapp and sophomore Sam Pendleton, delivered in the fourth quarter when it was needed most.
“We knew it was going to be a four-quarter game,” Freeman told ABC following the resilient win. “This is a really good football team we just faced; well coached and tough. But I’m so proud of our guys, and our coaching staff, our strength staff. Our guys were healthy. There wasn’t any cramping. Our guys were ready to go. And they believed. I knew this game was going to come down to the fourth quarter. I’m proud of our guys, the way they executed.
“That’s a great defensive line we faced today, probably the toughest we’ll see all year,” Freeman continued. “I’m proud of the young guys. I think we had six starts combined with that starting five (on the offensive line). They got baptized today. I’m proud of them. They are going to continue to get better. This offense, defense, and special teams, it’s something special.”
Price Is Right
Denison, Texas native Jadarian Price proved to be a difference maker for the Irish. Not recruited by Texas A&M despite rushing for nearly 5,000 yards and scoring 55 touchdowns in high school, Price made certain that the in-state program took notice of his talent on Saturday night.
The junior running back gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game on the second drive of the third quarter. On a second-and-long, Price busted through a gaping hole created by the offensive line. He made a couple of defenders miss, bounced outside, and accelerated into the next level for a 47-yard touchdown. The explosive run capped a four-play, 63-yard drive. The score put the Irish up 13-6 following the Mitch Jeter extra point.
Running back Jeremiyah Love also found the end zone for the Irish. Love broke free on the right side of the line for a 21-yard touchdown scamper late in the game to give Notre Dame a 20-13 advantage following a Jeter extra point.
All things considered, the Irish did a solid job of running the ball against the vaunted front seven of the Aggies. Love paced Notre Dame with 91 yards on 14 carries (6.5 average). Price had eight rushes for 44 yards (5.5 average).
Leonard’s Leadership
In front of a raucous Kyle Field crowd of 107,315—the fourth-largest crowd in stadium history—Leonard passed his first test as Notre Dame’s OB1. With the win, he defeated a team led by his former head coach at Duke Mike Elko who was making his Texas A&M debut. For the game, Leonard was efficient, not spectacular under new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Leonard completed 18 of 30 pass attempts for 158 yards. He had zero touchdowns. More importantly, he did not throw an interception, finishing the game with a quarterback rating of 104.2. Leonard also ran 12 times for 63 yards (5.3 average).
“I kind of settled in. It only took me three-quarters,” Riley said on ABC. “You got to put your body on the line sometimes for you boys. We got it done. One drive is all it takes. We were able to get it done. Unreal crowd. This place is something every kid dreams of. It’s an incredible place to be. You look up and you can’t even see the end of the stands. God bless this football team. I can’t even put it into words right now.”
Freeman said of Leonard, “He’s awesome, he’s resilient. You talk about resilience, that’s him. Tough. I want him to go down sometimes on those quarterback runs, but he gives up his body for this team. He is a great leader. Thank God we got him on this team.”
A Golden Defense
Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden had his unit ready to play. Among the best in the nation last year, the stout, veteran-laden defense kept the Aggies in check all night. It didn’t take long for Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman to see that the Notre Dame defense is as good as advertised. Weighman never found his stride. He hurried passes and threw a pair of interceptions.
The Irish’s elite secondary prevented any big downfield plays. Right before halftime, Xavier Watts picked off a pass over the middle. The clutch interception prevented the Aggies from adding another possible score before the half ended. Watts led the nation in interceptions last season with seven. Sophomore safety Adon Shuler added a second interception for the Irish. Overall, the Notre Dame defense held Texas A&M to 246 yards of offense (100 yards passing). The only score for the Aggies was a one-yard touchdown run from Le’Veon Moss. On a career-best 20 carries, Moss rushed for 72 yards.
Looking Ahead
Notre Dame’s season-opening victory wasn’t pretty. But the Week One triumph is the biggest road win for the Irish in over a decade (Oklahoma in 2012). In the end, the Irish faithful should be more excited than nervous about the future.
“We always say execution fuels emotion, and then when you have success like that, you’re emotional, and you appreciate our fans,” Freeman said at his post-game press conference. “We appreciate our fans are traveling from all over the country to support us, and it’s just a proud moment, man.
“That was a huge victory for our program over a really good football team. That is an impressive football team that is going to win a lot of games,” Freeman continued. “I have a lot of respect for coach Elko. That’s a good group we just faced and were able to beat. It wasn’t pretty. Our defense played lights out. Our offense, you know what? We didn’t turn the ball over. Yes, there are a lot of things we have to work on. But, man, they did a great job of trying to at least move the chains. We’re trying to win the battle of field position. We didn’t make a detrimental mistake. I’m really proud of that group.”
Next up, the Irish play host to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7 at Notre Dame Stadium. Northern Illinois was a 54-15 winner over Western Illinois on Saturday.
