This 2024 kickoff was supposed to be replete with stories about my experience at College Station and what it was like to watch a game at The Most Intimidating Stadium on Earth™.  Unfortunately, a family situation required me to cancel the trip, and while everything has resolved to my satisfaction, I remain depressed I missed the pageantry and spectacle (not to mention the time with good friends and the opportunity to meet more NDN folks).  Nevertheless, it is my resolution to pluck away at the strings and share my impressions of Notre Dame football’s epic (yes, I said epic) win at #20 Texas A&M this Saturday.

Let’s get pickin’ since I’ve been grinnin’ for over 12 hours now (and no, I will not see a doctor).

AS ADVERTISED?

Reading through the pre-game punditry, including my appearance on Dome & Domer this week, the predictions followed a common theme: This was going to be a defensive grind, and the winning team would be the one whose offense could overcome the talent/experience of the opponent.  And today I sit at my keyboard talking about a defensive grind where the winning team was the one whose offense, in the end, overcame the talent/experience of the opponent.  The only difference from the majority opinion ended up being Notre Dame as the prevailing offense.

That doesn’t mean individual groups didn’t surprise a bit, and for that, I’m looking right at Joe Rudolph and his charges on the OL.  In a (kidding aside) very loud and hostile environment, the Group of Six Starts™ got off to a rocky first half, particularly newcomers Anthonie Knapp and Sam Pendleton.  But with the game on the line and multiple potential first-round draft picks staring at them across the line of scrimmage, these guys kept those draft picks out of Riley Leonard’s face just long enough and opened a hole for Jeremiyah Love just wide enough to bring home the victory.  There’s something to be said about a group this young giving up zero sacks in a game like this, regardless of the QB’s mobility.

As Kirk Herbstreit said during the broadcast, everyone has a first game they’ll be telling stories about.  This group did just enough in this story to win the game, and now has three games in a row where they’ll be looking at guys less talented and against whom they can cut their teeth even more.  A cool bath after a baptism by fire, if you will.  And I shall.

AS ADVERTISED!

Setting aside the early jumps, Notre Dame’s defense was everything the practice reports said it was and then some.  The Aggie headlines I linked this morning bemoaned the fact Connor Weigman “couldn’t get comfortable” and “couldn’t get the passing game going”, and when the game was on the line, Weigman and company folded.  That’s as it may be, but I think Irish fans would tell them there were 11+ damn good reasons the Aggie offense was nonplussed.

Looking at the snap counts (https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/23916/snap-count-thoughts-texas-am-week), the depth of talent Notre Dame boasts on that side of the ball was evident.  20 guys played more than 20 snaps, and two more were close to it.  Both Adon Shuler and Ben Morrison Xavier Watts (thanks, tk) came up with picks, Howard Cross III got a sack against the very mobile Weigman, and Irish tacklers were quick to the ball seemingly on every play.

Let’s face it … when the reigning Bronco Nagurski Award winner is in your backfield, and he’s not necessarily the best defensive back on your team, there are going to be a lot more QB’s like Connor Weigman crying on Sunday mornings this year.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

While basking in the glow of an excellent win — the kind of win the last couple Irish coaches couldn’t have pulled off — let’s not forget there’s still work to be done.  99 luftballoons penalty yards, even accounting for the noise factor, is not good, particularly when they negate big plays on offense (like the 37-yard run by Jadarian Price that wasn’t) or a play on D that can get them off the field and extend drives.

Looking at specifics, I’m not sure what to make of Riley Leonard’s debut.  His mobility certainly helped save the day, and 222 yards of total offense is nothing at which to sneeze.  But none of his tosses went for more than 20 yards, and there were more accuracy issues than I would have liked to see.  Neither QB made long throws in this game, and a single data point is just that.  But if there’s something I want to see against Northern Illinois, in addition to a more consisting running game, it’s Leonard showing opponents they’re going to have to respect the possibility of the deep ball.  Linebackers and safeties with their ears pinned back going after the Irish QB doesn’t lend itself to a long, healthy season for Leonard.

Speaking of which, if there’s any mystery as to why Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey hung around this season, Leonard’s all-out scrambling erased it.  I love his willingness to sacrifice the body, but those two guys along with CJ Carr are all a play away from getting meaningful time.  Establishing a solid RB will keep Leonard out of the infirmary too.

The old saying is a team improves the most between its first and second game.  There’s room, so let’s go.

A TRUE CONUNDRUM 

I don’t know what makes me happier: That this asshole wasn’t on the field…

…or that THIS asshole wasn’t on the field.

(And for those of you who have been bitching and moaning these last couple months about those guys appearing in the video preview on the front page, you can deal with it for a little while longer, cupcakes)

As was pointed out on Rock’s House, enjoying a quality win over an SEC opponent in TMISOE™ is made even sweeter when the head coach is someone you like and support.  It’s been a long slog since 1996 for some of us, and the last two seasons have been a breath of fresh air not having the part in the back of my brain grumbling “if only [insert annoying coach’s name here] wasn’t the one doing it”.

Yesterday, though, surpassed even that, because Vice-President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick was nowhere to be seen.  To apply the old saw, the most dangerous place in College Station Saturday would have been between Savvy Jack and a camera in the post-game revelry, because no one was more visible in victory and invisible in defeat than he. 

But our new AD, Peve Bevacqua, was (as far as I could tell) nowhere to be seen.  Granted, my revels in the immediate post-game didn’t allow me to focus too much on the television, but he seems to have been willing to let the players and coaches — you know, the guys who actually won the damn thing — to have their minutes.

So I’m going to have to go with the latter in my question above.  Good riddance to bad rubbish.

THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE WIN

At halftime, I switched over from trying to consume the last of my Summer Shandy’s to this:

That’s why we won, and that’s the story I’m sticking with.

For those of you unaware, Teeling Whiskey is the official Irish whiskey of Notre Dame, and has put out a Notre Dame-branded expression.  I’m here to tell you it’s very very tasty, and the three bottles I bought hopefully should take us through to the CFP.  I’m not sure of the depth and breadth of where it’s available, but I got mine through Sip Whiskey, so I know you can get it there.

(This is not a paid advertisement, by the way, just the ramblings of a social alcoholic)

Out of sheet music for the week, Go Irish, Beat Huskies.

Let Kabong know what you think in the comments below