Notre Dame football was the underdog in Saturday's game against No. 20 Texas A&M as it traveled into a tough road environment in Week 1 of the season.
But it was the Fighting Irish who came out victorious, grinding out a 23-13 win in College Station, Texas, in a defense-dominant performance.
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Notre Dame held Texas A&M to only 246 total yards as Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman was wildly inefficient in his return. Weigman had a 12-of-30 passing night for only 100 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns in the game.
Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard, making his first start at Notre Dame against Texas A&M coach Mike Elko — who coached Leonard last season — was good enough to earn the win on Saturday. Leonard completed 18 of 30 passes for 158 yards but added 63 rushing yards on 12 carries.
The Fighting Irish and Aggies were tied at 13 with under seven minutes remaining, but Notre Dame drove down the field with an eight-play, 85-yard drive ending in a 21-yard touchdown run by Jeremiyah Love with less than two minutes remaining. Texas A&M couldn't answer on the next possession before Notre Dame sealed the win with a field goal with under a minute remaining.
With the win, Notre Dame adds a nice resume booster to its College Football Playoff-hopeful program. See below for live updates and highlights from Notre Dame's win:
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This section will be updated.
| Teams | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
| Notre Dame | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 23 |
| Texas A&M | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
Fighting Irish pick up a big road win in a tough environment to kick off their 2024 season. Big win for coach Marcus Freeman.
Notre Dame seals the win with a 46-yard field goal to give it a 23-13 lead with under a minute left in the fourth quarter. Fighting Irish going to escape a tough road environment in College Station for a Week 1 win.
Aggies turn the ball over on downs, with Notre Dame regaining possession. Weigman nearly threw an interception as Christian Gray jumped the Texas A&M slant route.
Texas A&M can't let Notre Dame get a first down here if it wants a small chance at scoring.
Notre Dame takes a 20-13 lead on a 21-yard touchdown run by Love. Fighting Irish with their best drive of the game in an important spot, gaining 85 yards on eight plays in 4:29 of game time. That was a perfect possession.
Texas A&M has to answer here.
Leonard hits Jaden Greathouse for a 9-yard gain on third-and-5 before finding Beaux Collins for a 20-yard gain, which puts Notre Dame inside Texas A&M's 30-yard line. Collins' catch was confirmed after review.
Weigman completes a pass that falls a yard short of the first-down marker, but Texas A&M was pushed back on its own 24-yard line and opts to punt to go three-and-out. The fourth-down try wasn't worth it to the Aggies.
Weigman is now 12 of 26 passing for 100 yards with two interceptions on the night.
After a negative run and a false start, Notre Dame was pushed back to a third-and-18 attempt, which it doesn't convert. Texas A&M regains possession with a chance to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Aggies with a much-needed touchdown drive, their first of the game. That ties it at 13. Running back Le'Veon Moss plunges it in from a yard out for the score. Texas A&M travels 65 yards in 10 plays early in the fourth quarter.
Leonard throws a dangerous pass, and it's nearly intercepted by Will Lee before the Aggies stop Notre Dame anyway on third down. Notre Dame goes three-and-out and Texas A&M needs some offense here.
A&M offense desperately needs to get going here, as it punts to give Notre Dame the ball back.
Notre Dame breaks through with the first touchdown by either team in the game, as Jadarian Price takes a handoff 47 yards to the house. The Fighting Irish lead 13-6 with 6:51 left in the third quarter after gaining 63 yards in only four plays.
Texas A&M attempts a fourth-and-8 try, but Weigman's deep pass intended for Micah Tease is overthrown, giving Notre Dame the ball back. Fighting Irish take over at their own 37-yard line.
Both teams continue to dominate defensively.
Fighting Irish go for it on 4th-and-2, but Leonard only picks up a yard and Texas A&M takes over possession. Notre Dame appeared to be putting together a solid drive before the fourth-down stop.
Notre Dame takes the conservative approach and runs the ball to milk the remaining clock. Game remains tied 6-6 heading into the break.
A tough night for Weigman continues, as the Texas A&M quarterback tosses his second interception of the game after Notre Dame's Xavier Watts came down with Weigman's pass.
Notre Dame takes over at its own 49-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the half.
Texas A&M holds strong, forcing Notre Dame to punt despite a long rushing gain earlier in the drive. Aggies have just under two minutes to try and take the lead before halftime.
A play after Notre Dame had a 37-yard gain called back for holding, running back Jeremiyah Love runs for 29 yards to get to midfield. Fighting Irish offense getting something going this drive.
Weigman tried to buy time in the pocket on third-and-12 but can't evade the pressure and is sacked for an 11-yard loss. Weigman hit Cyrus Allen for a nice 13-yard gain earlier in the drive, but otherwise nothing doing for the Aggies.
Notre Dame takes over on its own 14-yard line after the punt.
Aggies are able to stop Notre Dame from capitalizing on the turnover with a touchdown, holding the Fighting Irish to a 26-yard field goal to tie the game at 6-6.
Texas A&M star defensive end transfer Nic Scourton was down after the third-down play but was able to get up on his own and head back to the sideline. That'll be something to monitor the rest of the game.
Weigman attempts a throw to Noah Thomas on the first play of the drive, but it's intercepted by Adon Shuler. Nice momentum shift for the Fighting Irish, who get the ball on the Aggies' 29-yard line.
Texas A&M's pass rush has been a major factor so far, as the Aggies have been getting consistent pressure on Leonard in the first half. Fighting Irish forced to punt again.
Aggies regain their early lead with another field goal, this time a 49-yard kick by Bond. Solid rushing drive for Texas A&M, who opened its possession with four consecutive positive run plays.
After the first quarter, Texas A&M and Notre Dame are tied 3-3. Not a ton of offense from either side in the first period.
Leonard avoids pressure from Texas A&M and has an open receiver for the first down but can't make the throw facing multiple Aggies defenders in the backfield. Texas A&M takes over with decent field position at its own 37-yard line.
Aggies can't get anything going on their second possession, punting the ball back to Notre Dame, who will start on its own 13-yard line.
Notre Dame ties the game with its own field goal, a 46-yard kick by Mitch Jeter. We're all tied up in College Station.
Tough start for Texas A&M, as defensive back Dalton Brooks is called for targeting while trying to stop Leonard on a third-down scramble attempt. Notre Dame picked up the first down anyway, but Brooks is done for the night already.
Aggies take an early 3-0 lead after stalling out within striking distance. Kicker Randy Bond hits a 34-yard field goal to give Texas A&M the edge after its first possession.
Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman, along with first-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein, are in rhythm early against Notre Dame. Texas A&M nearly in the red zone after a third-down completion.
Kyle Field is packed, and this crowd is on fire waiting for Texas A&M's season opener. Notre Dame opening its year in as hostile an environment gets in college football.
Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman, a former five-star recruit who only played in four games last season before suffering a season-ending injury, is out on the field warming up for the Aggies:
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, who's taking on his former Duke coach Mike Elko, is ready for his Notre Dame debut on Saturday night:
Notre Dame players have arrived at Kyle Field:
Albeit it was a few hours ago, here were the predictions for the Aggies-Fighting Irish game on ESPN's "College GameDay"
Texas A&M is out on Kyle Field, and is gathered in unison around the midfield Aggies logo pregame:
Texas A&M-Notre Dame is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kick off on Saturday, Aug. 31, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
Aggies-Fighting Irish will air live on ABC, with streaming options available on the ESPN app (with a TV provider login) or Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Texas A&M and Notre Dame have played five times in their history, with the last matchup a 24-3 Aggies win at home in 2001.
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Here are predictions from the game, courtesy of the South Bend Tribune:
Mike Berardino: Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 16. Riley Leonard and Co. start fast, bring down the decibel level to a merely annoying level at Kyle Field. One of the nation’s best defenses will keep it right there.
Tom Noie: Notre Dame 17, Texas A&M 6. The Irish need to let the defense dominate and do enough offensively to not lose this one. Just get in, get out and get home 1-0.
Austin Hough: Notre Dame 17, Texas A&M 14. Mitch Jeter kicks a field goal as time expires for the win. Irish fans everywhere let out a collective sigh of relief because of it.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Aug. 29
Per AccuWeather
All times Eastern.
All times Eastern.
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