Notre Dame's Offensive Line Did What It Needed to Do vs. Texas A&M: Survive

It wasn't easy, but the Irish offensive front battled and eventually won the night

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn't always pretty, but the Notre Dame offense did enough to win

Entering this game, the entire country was talking about the positional matchup that would have the biggest impact on the outcome of the game. Notre Dame's much talked about, young offensive line matching up against Texas A&M's strength, its defensive front.

Would the Irish line crumble and look overmatched all night, or would it be able to function enough to let the offense operate and win the ballgame with a respectable output from this unit? While it certainly wasn't perfect, I'd say the Notre Dame line outperformed expectations on the night.

Notre Dame, with their 6 career starts in the offensive line, wins the game running right at a 9 box for Texas A&M. They said it couldn’t be done. pic.twitter.com/kAPDGfxGoc

— Greg Flammang (@greg2126) September 1, 2024

The numbers ended up looking better than they felt live in the moment

While there were plenty of plays that didn't go well and multiple frustrating penalties up front, when push literally came to shove, Notre Dame's offensive front succeeded.

Notre Dame ran the ball for 198 yards and allowed zero sacks while putting together a game-winning drive to cap off the evening. Was it a thing of beauty all night? Absolutely not. And it didn't have to be.

The best part about this performance is that it should be the offensive line's worst of the season. This was their first game, in a hostile environment against the best defensive front they will face all season. Assuming reasonable health, this group will get better from here quickly.

Job well done.

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