Texas A&M Falls Late To Notre Dame: Five Takeaways From Season Opener

The Texas A&M Aggies were evenly matched with the Fighting Irish, until they weren't.

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Christian Gray (29) tackles Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Trey Jones III (9) in the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies were unable to start their season as they expected Saturday night, dropping their season opener to No. 7 Notre Dame 23-13.

This is the first season-opening loss for the Aggies since 2017, when they were victims of a huge comeback courtesy of UCLA.

Here are five takeaways from the home loss:

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Weigman Struggles In Return

This season opener was definitely one to forget for the redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman, who only threw for 100 yards and completed 12 of his 30 attempted passes. To put into perspective, Weigman only missed 37 passes in all four games he played in last year, and he's already thrown 18 incompletions to start. Weigman also threw a pair of interceptions last night, both in the first half.

Weigman was also seen vomiting ahead of halftime. Was it nerves? Was it rust? Was it the Notre Dame defense? It could've been all three, and all clearly affected Weigman Saturday night. He simply just didn't look like the Weigman from last season. Texas A&M will hope for a quick turnaround this week as they prepare for McNeese State.

Losing Turnover Battle = Losing Entire Game

Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York said in his postgame press conference that winning the turnover battle is a must for the Aggies in every game. They unfortunately lost that battle two to none as Weigman's pair of picks proved to be costly in the loss. His first interception put the Irish in prime field position and resulted in a field goal. His second interception put a halt to a march down the field that could've put the Aggies in field-goal range to close out the first half.

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) breaks free and runs the ball into the end zone 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

Aggie Defense Falls Apart Late In Fourth Quarter

Fans of both the Irish and the Aggies knew that they were in for a big defensive battle. In the first half of the game, there was no doubt that it would come down to defensive play, as the game was tied at six apiece at half with field goals being the only source of scoring for both sides. Texas A&M's defense only allowed 65 yards rushing the first half, only to surrender 133 in the second half, which included a 47-yard rushing score by Jadarian Price in the third quarter and the go-ahead 21-yard rushing score by Jeremiyah Love with just under two minutes to go in the game. York took the entirety of the blame for the defensive faults, saying that allowing 198 yards rushing was "no bueno" and it all started with him as a leader.

Riley Leonard Shines Against Former Coach

Riley Leonard was exactly the playmaker Notre Dame needed against Texas A&M, both with his arm and his legs. Despite only converting two of 12 third downs, Leonard was able to convert a fourth down for the Irish and Notre Dame got the field position it did because of his ability to put the football in the right spots at the right times and get the Irish to the red zone. This led to Leonard and the Irish knocking off Mike Elko, his former head coach at Duke. Elko praised Leonard's performance after the game, saying he told his former quarterback "he loved him, and he would be rooting for him for the rest of his life."

Moving On To McNeese

It seems as though York has already put the loss behind him and is looking ahead to McNeese this Saturday.

"You're going to kill yourself all week if you think about it, try to beat yourself up about it. So, of course, we're going to be our biggest critics. Sunday, we'll watch the film, get ready for McNeese," York said.