Great Start, Notre Dame Football. Now Fix These Critical Areas

The 2024 season got off to a fantastic at Texas A&M, but there are areas where the Irish want to improve, beginning with this weekend's visit from Northern Illinois.

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) throws a pass under pressure from Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame went on the road and beat a talented SEC team in Week 1. All of a sudden, no one seems to have a clearer path to a perfect season and a College Football Playoff berth. Marcus Freeman appears to have raised the bar in his coaching journey. The buzz surrounding the Irish after one game is palpable.

However, Freeman won't rest on his laurels... neither will his assistants or his players. ND is eyeing more than a CFP berth. This team thinks it can win it all in 2024. To get there, these are the areas that must be addressed as the page turns to Week 2 and the first home game of the year.

4. The Pass Rush

Conner Weigman dropped back to throw 36 times, yet he was sacked just once by Howard Cross III. And the Irish logged just a pair of hurries from Jordan Botelho all night. The front seven was great against the run, but there's too much talent in the trenches to not wreak more havoc in opposing backfields.

Howard Cross beats a double team for this sack, which results an a loss of 11 yards for Texas A&M. pic.twitter.com/hSetidhBIr

— Drew Mentock (@AndrewMentock) September 2, 2024

3. Penalties

ND was sort of fortunate that all of its mistakes and mental errors didn't cost the team at Kyle Field. Yeah, the noise was predictably insane but the Irish's 11 penalties for 99 yards was more than 120 FBS teams in Week 1. This has to be cleaned up immediately.

2. Third-Down Conversions

The offense had some issues, which was not a huge surprise, considering the venue, the opponent, and the relative inexperience of the offensive line. Still, converting just 2-of-12 third downs also ranks near the bottom of the FBS and represents Notre Dame's worst single-game conversion rate in five years.

1. The Passing Game

There's certainly no reason to panic, and Mike Denbrock's offense put the ball in the hands of his backs in the second half. However, the Irish will want more balance as the season unfolds and Leonard gets better acclimated with the offense and receivers. Leonard completed 18-of-30 for just 158 yards, no TDs, and no plays over 20 yards.

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