Irish Breakdown

What We Learned About Notre Dame's Win Over Texas A&M: Sunday Morning Coffee

Just one game into Notre Dame's 2024 college football season, we’ve already learned a great deal following its victory at Texas A&M.

Nathan Erbach

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts in the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts 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

They say you learn a lot about a team based on their performance in their second game of the season, but Notre Dame revealed a lot about itself last night in its season opener down in College Station.

The game was a hard-fought battle from start to finish. Late in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t certain that the Irish would be returning to South Bend with a victory. However, their performance underscores the growth of the program in its third year under Marcus Freeman.

2024 Notre Dame Football Team Can Win the Big Road Game

We've seen it throughout Marcus Freeman's short tenure so far. Notre Dame has secured victories against strong teams and achieved key wins, but those successes have largely been at home— most notably, USC last year and Clemson the year before. These were pivotal wins for each of those teams.

Conversely, losses to Louisville and Clemson last year were also significant, highlighting challenges faced on the road against quality opponents.

This 2024 team doesn't have many opportunities to showcase their talent on the road this season. It was Texas A&M. This list ends there.

Some might push back on the narrative that this win is impressive. The facts remain. Notre Dame was a road underdog in Week 1 against a ranked Aggies team in an environment many deem to be the toughest in college football. Read that sentence a few times over if you aren't sold.

Notre Dame's Secondary is Elite

The type of game where a perceived strength of Notre Dame's is often exposed. Don't tell the 2024 Irish secondary that. From the jump, the backend of the defense led by pre-season All-American Benjamin Morrison and 2023 Nagurski winner Xavier Watts, set the tone.

Conner Weigman came into this season with a ton of NFL hype around his name, and deservingly so. Notre Dame's secondary made him uncomfortable all night.

SEC athletes are the best in the country. I don't think that is a questionable statement. Texas A&M recruits at an extremely high level, particularly in recent years. The Aggie receivers couldn't gain separation against Christian Gray, Jordan Clark, Jaden Mickey or Benjamin Morrison.

The Irish secondary is championship caliber.

The Notre Dame Rushing Attack Has a Chance to be Prolific

It wasn't there all night. In fact, it was missing almost the entirety of the first half. Late in the second quarter, Jadarian Price broke loose for a significant gain. Although that play was called back for holding, from that point forward, the running game took off and paced the Irish offense.

With Jeremiyah Love and the aforementioned Jadarian Price, Notre Dame boasts a two-headed monster in the backfield. Coupled with Riley Leonard’s dual-threat capabilities, the Irish offense should present significant challenges for opponents throughout the season.

Notre Dame finished with 198 yards on 34 carries and two touchdowns. That is good for 5.8 yards per carry.

Texas A&M's defensive front is one of the best in the country, but as the game progressed, Notre Dame’s rushing attack proved to be too much. The Aggies will certainly be strong against the run this season, but Notre Dame’s run game, simply put, is prolific.

The Notre Dame Offensive Line Will be Just Fine

Notre Dame's young and inexperienced offensive line rose to the occasion last night. There were moments where true freshman Anthonie Knapp and redshirt freshman Sam Pendleton looked overwhelmed. That is to be expected in that environment as first time starters.

They also proved to be up to the test. The moment wasn't too big. As the season goes on, the unit will only get better. The right side of the line, including Right Guard Billy Schrauth and Right Tackle Aamil Wagner, was rarely mentioned during the broadcast, a strong indicator of their solid performance. Center Ashton Craig had a few bad snaps, but was terrific outside of that.

While it will take a few more games before they face another major test, there is much to be optimistic about with this group.

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Nathan Erbach

NATHAN ERBACH

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