Notre Dame’s stifling defense kept Texas A&M in check until the ground game came alive in the fourth quarter as the Fighting Irish pulled away to a 23-13 victory in its season opener. A slew of penalties and negative plays created by the aggressive Aggie defense made life miserable for the visitors in the first half, where the teams fought to a 6-6 draw. It was A&M, however, that wilted in the Texas heat. Notre Dame’s depth and superior conditioning were evident as the young Irish offensive line was suddenly able to open holes for scoring bursts by Jadarian Price and Jeremiah Love.

Quarterback Riley Leonard was somewhat erratic in his debut. He did manage to complete 18 of 30 passes for 158 yards despite a few wayward throws, and he ran for 63 tough but vital yards. Leonard was not sacked nor intercepted, and he outplayed A&M’s Conner Weigman. The Aggie signal-caller was a meager 12 for 30 for 100 yards and suffered two interceptions.

Texas A&M used its size in the trenches to dominate the early going but the Irish defense recorded key stops when needed. The teams exchanged field goals in their opening possessions before the game settled into a slugfest. After an exchange of punts, kicker Randy Bond hit a 49-yarder for a 6-3 Aggie lead early in the second period. Notre Dame could not answer and A&M took over again with momentum on its side.

That changed on the next play as Weigman overthrew a deep pass into the hands of Irish safety Adon Shuler. Leonard moved the visitors inside the ten-yard line before the drive stalled and Mitch Jeter came on to tie the score at six midway through the quarter. Notre Dame appeared to be on the march minutes later but a 37-yard run by Price was negated by a holding penalty.

Texas A&M then got the ball and tried to score before the half ended. This time, safety Xavier Watts made a diving interception of a Weigman pass to end the threat. The Irish could not capitalize in the final 46 seconds and the teams retreated to the locker room.

Coach Marcus Freeman started the third quarter with an aggressive mindset. On the first series, he directed his offense to go for it on fourth on one. Leonard converted, only to face the same down and distance on the next set of downs. Leonard appeared to cross the line to gain near midfield, but an unfavorable spot and a reluctant ACC replay crew denied Notre Dame.

Once again, the Irish defense rose to the occasion. A&M Coach Mike Elko tried his own fourth down gamble on the ensuing series but Weigman’s pass fell harmlessly to the ground. Leonard’s 16-yard pass to Cooper Flanagan got the offense moving across midfield but another holding call on the next play pushed them back. After another short completion, Price took a handoff, cut sharply to the left and outran the Aggie defense for 47 yards and the game’s first touchdown.

Trailing 13-6, Texas A&M had the ball as the game moved into the final stanza. Hard running by Le’Veon Moss and two more costly Irish penalties set up a one-yard scoring run by Moss to tie the game with 11:49 remaining.

That was the end of the line for the Aggie offense. Notre Dame was the fresher team down the stretch as players began to cramp up. Everyone was affected by the heat and humidity, but the Aggies were visibly gassed. The Irish took over with 6:23 left and began to march. Leonard hit Beaux Collins down the sideline for 20 yards and followed it up with a 12-yard keeper. Love then covered the final 40 yards on two plays as the clock slid under the two-minute mark. His 21-yard scoring run demonstrated his impressive combination of power and speed.

Irish cornerback Christian Gray denied Weigman’s ensuing attempt to answer. The instinctive and physical Gray jumped a slant route on fourth down and knocked the pass to the turf. Notre Dame could not run out the clock as Texas A&M used tis timeouts, but Love ran the Irish into position for another field goal to ice the game and account for the 23-13 final margin.

Despite a slew of penalties and three quarters of ugly offense, there were plenty of heroes for Notre Dame. The young offensive line looked overmatched at times but collaborated on a few beautifully executed runs. Leonard was pressured in the pocket on several occasions but never sacked. Line Coach Joe Rudolph deserves credit for getting this young group ready to handle a monumental challenge.

On defense, the secondary was outstanding. Shuler, Benjamin Morrison, Gray and Watts formed a blanket over the Aggie receivers. Linebacker Jaylen Sneed had a good night as did Jordan Botelho and Howard Cross up front. A special shout out must go to Strength and Conditioning Coach Loren Landow, who had his athletes fit, hydrated and able to perform at a high level for 60 minutes. Finally, Notre Dame appears to have a clutch kicker in Jeter, who nailed three field goals. Two of them were from 46 yards including the game-clincher.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions.

• Can Notre Dame maintain its poise in a hot and hostile environment? The penalties and Leonard’s early struggles were concerning but the team demonstrated its resilience and belief in each other.
• Which team will have the fewest penalties and turnovers? A mixed bag. Notre Dame won the turnover battle 2-0. They were flagged 11 times for 99 yards to 6/55 for A&M.
• Which team will be able to run the ball most effectively? The Irish outrushed the Aggies by 198-146 and had the more explosive runs with Price and Love carrying the rock.
• Will Leonard or Weigman best handle the pressure? Neither looked great but Leonard made enough plays with his arm and legs to win. Weigman looked lost all night.
• Which team will tackle best, particularly in the secondary? The Aggies’ safeties made numerous hard tackles on run blitzes. Ultimately, both Price and Love ran through them to paydirt when fatigue took over. Notre Dame was not perfect in terms of tackling but they were solid and did not allow any plays over 18 yards.
• Will the Irish special teams deliver a game-changing play? Nothing memorable but Jeter’s kicking was notable. New punter James Reddell was okay but not the superstar we were led to expect.
• Can Notre Dame’s new wide receivers make a positive impact? Collins was excellent for Notre Dame. Kris Mitchell also had a nice catch at a critical moment.
• Which coaching staff will win the battle of planning and adjustments? Al Golden’s Irish defense was the most impressive unit, and the Irish offensive staff finally was finally able to penetrate the aggressive and talented A&M front. The Aggies were selling out against the run as they did not fear Leonard’s ability to beat them over the top. Other teams will employ a similar strategy so the Irish must be willing to take and hit a few deep shots going forward.

There were certainly enough areas requiring improvement as the season progresses, but Irish fans should revel in the positives while Freeman and his staff address the miscues behind closed doors. It has been a long time since Notre Dame has prevailed against a quality team in a hostile environment. One can tell how much the game meant to Freeman by the gambles he was willing to take to achieve victory. Even though there are 11 winnable games remaining, a loss would here would have been excruciating for players, coaches and fans. The offense has plenty of work to do but it will be fun to watch them grow in the coming weeks. When is the last time we were able to use the word “fun” when talking about Fighting Irish football? Well, it’s time.