The obvious and overused cliche to describe this game is to call it a rock fight. But nothing else seems to describe the way the Irish came into the hostile atmosphere of Kyle Field and emerged with a hard-fought, 23-13 victory, racking up 356 yards in the process. The stadium literally shook with the energy of 107,315 Texas A&M fans, each roar urging the Aggies on. Yet by the end, the chants of “Let's go Irish” drowned out the 12th Man as Marcus Freeman’s squad defied expectations, securing a statement win in its season opener Saturday evening.
As Freeman aptly put it, this game was a true “four-quarter battle.” And battle the Irish did, shaking off a sluggish offensive start to orchestrate an eight-play, 85-yard drive in the final eight minutes — oddly reminiscent of their last clash with a Mike Elko-led team in Duke.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Freeman said. “The defense played lights out. Our offense did a great job of trying to move the chains and win the battle of field position.”
The first half was low-scoring, with the Irish and the Aggies locked in a punt-heavy exchange, nearly matching each other in yardage (139-127, respectively). However, penalties plagued the Irish, as they racked up seven flags for 59 yards before halftime (11 for 99 yards in the game), stalling drives and erasing potential scoring chances. But, this made the half a showcase of defensive prowess.
Both teams opened with field goals on their initial drives, with graduate kicker Mitch Jeter nailing his debut attempt with the Irish, a 46-yarder, to put the Irish on the board. Though new to Notre Dame, the former South Carolina kicker is no stranger to the SEC environment.
“I think this is my third time playing [at Kyle Field], so I’ve gotten to see it a lot, and some other places in the SEC too,” Jeter said.
As the game progressed, Notre Dame and A&M traded punts, but gaps in the Irish defense allowed the Aggies to notch another field goal early in the second quarter. A timely interception and 12-yard return by sophomore safety Adon Shuler gave the Irish the confidence to drown out the noise of the opposing crowd.
“[It was] a huge tone-setter,” Shuler said. “There's no other place to play, and here, the hype is kind of what we want.”
However, a still sluggish offense relied on Jeter, whose 26-yard kick meant he accounted for all six of Notre Dame’s points in the first half.
Graduate defensive lineman Howard Cross’s third-down sack midway through the second quarter forced the Aggies to punt, giving Notre Dame an opportunity to make a move. Junior running back Jadarian Price ripped off a big run, but it was called back 37 yards due to holding. Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love then broke loose for a 29-yard rush, though the drive ultimately stalled, ending in another punt.
In the final minutes of the half, graduate safety Xavier Watts stepped up, showcasing the Irish defense and exposing cracks in Aggie quarterback Conner Weigman’s decision-making.
The offense, however, was fighting a bit more to move the chains. With contributors like senior tight end Mitchell Evans not seeing the field much and sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison out early due to injury, there were holes that could be filled. But, they managed to keep battling.
“They didn't turn the ball over,” Freeman said. “There’s a lot of things we have to work on. They did a great job trying to move the chains and trying to move the battle. They didn’t make any detrimental mistakes.”
Senior quarterback Riley Leonard kept the Irish moving with a mix of passing and rushing despite several mistakes. He finished his Notre Dame debut with 63 rushing yards and 158 passing yards (18-for-30), proving he could get the job done.
“I think this was an opportunity to prove to my teammates that not only can I lead them off the field but I can lead them on the field as well when it really matters,” Leonard said.
He also had even more to play for than just Notre Dame versus A&M.
“I feel like there was a game within a game playing [Elko] … He threw up some really good stuff, so I’ll have to go back and watch it. There’s a rivalry there, between me and coach, but it’s all love at the end of the day.”
The offensive line, though battling through its inexperience, struggled at times against A&M’s defense. At halftime, the game was tied again at 6-6.
With the Irish in possession to begin the second half, they earned a first down on a fourth-and-short conversion from Leonard. Three plays later, Notre Dame faced another fourth-and-short situation, but this time A&M's defense held firm, stopping Leonard inches shy of the first down line in a controversial call.
The Aggies couldn’t capitalize, though, as back-to-back tackles by graduate defensive end Jordan Botelho and a critical stop by Shuler forced A&M to come up short on their own fourth-down attempt. Graduate linebacker Jack Kiser and Botelho anchored the defense, with Kiser tallying eight tackles (four solo) and Botelho adding six (three solo).
Notre Dame was in possession again, with Leonard connecting with sophomore tight end Cooper Flanagan and graduate wideout Beaux Collins. The transfer wide receiver had a game-high 62 yards on five catches. Price breathed more life into the offense, dodging two tackles and turning on the jets with a 47-yard touchdown over halfway into the third quarter. The Irish claimed their first lead of the game, further igniting their fire to win.
“We want to be aggressive,” Freeman said. “We want to attack … We had a plan going into the game, and this was our plan. If it’s one yard in the situation we are going for it, if it’s two yards for the situation we are going for it. I want to be aggressive, but I want to be smart.”
A false start on an Aggie fourth-down attempt gave the Irish another chance. Though their drive stalled, A&M’s next possession resulted in a 65-yard march and its first — and only — touchdown, tying the game at 13-13. With the crowd roaring, the pressure was on Notre Dame to respond.
And respond it did. Leonard connected with sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse for a crucial third-down conversion and then with Collins for 20 yards and another first down. Love kept the chains moving and eventually broke free for a 21-yard touchdown. Jeter’s extra point extended the lead to 20-13.
“[Leonard’s] a competitor,” Freeman said. “I have a lot of confidence in a guy like Riley Leonard at the end of the game.”
The end was in sight, but the job was not yet complete.
Notre Dame’s defense locked in. Sophomore cornerback Christian Gray broke up the final pass attempt of A&M’s next drive, and after a few more plays to drain the clock, Jeter sealed the victory with a 46-yard field goal. The Aggies' last drive proved fruitless, with junior linebacker Jaylen Sneed delivering the final tackle.
Saturday evening’s win against A&M — in Aggieland nonetheless — proved Notre Dame was the better-conditioned team and set a promising tone for the rest of Notre Dame’s season. This win not only boosts their potential playoff prospects but sends a strong message as they demonstrate their championship intentions.
“That was a huge victory for our program,” Freeman said. “That is an impressive football team that is going to win a lot of football games.”
