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Not even a jampacked Kyle Field was enough for a win. Despite rallying cries from thousands of students and fans alike, the Texas A&M Aggies fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their season opener on Saturday.
It wasn't a high-scoring game. In fact, both teams struggled to find the endzone early on, with all first-half points resulting from field goals. It was no blowout either. Notre Dame was the first team to reach the endzone, courtesy of Jadarian Price's 47-yard run in the third. Answering with a touchdown of their own from a 10-play drive, Texas A&M managed to tie the game early in the fourth. The deadlock ensued until the final two minutes, when the fighting Irish managed to score their second TD. The Aggies tried responding, but Connor Weigman's fourth-down pass was knocked away with 1:34 remaining. A Notre Dame field goal then sealed the game as Mike Elko and his squad had to settle for a 24-13 loss.
While they did manage to put up a fight, there were a couple of things on Texas A&M's end that could use fixing in the coming days.
Defending the run
For a good part of the game, the Aggies showed grit defensively. Limiting their opponents to just two field goals in the first half, Texas A&M seemed to have found the solution for Riley Leonard and Co. It all fell apart in the second half.
Besides the concession of two touchdowns, the numbers also indicate how the Aggies' run defense was less effective in the final 30 minutes of clock time. Through the first two quarters, Texas A&M allowed just 65 rushing yards. In the last two, however, they gave up 133 yards, letting the Fighting Irish run short of 200 yards in total. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love tallied 91 yards, eventually scoring the second touchdown that gave the lead to his team with 1:57 remaining in the fourth. Riley Leonard had his fair share of carries too, putting up 63 rushing yards of his own.
Following the loss, Mike Elko said that the Aggies “could have done a better job up front controlling the line of scrimmage” and “missed-fit some things,” which he felt resulted in some of Notre Dame's longer runs (per TexAgs' Olin Buchanan).
Quarterback play
Saturday marked Connor Weigman's return from a foot injury that ended his 2023 season. However, his performance wasn't the type that spectators were hoping for. Weigman threw for 100 yards and two interceptions, converting just 12 of his 30 pass attempts.
While Notre Dame's secondary did make life difficult for Texas A&M's receivers, both Weigman's interceptions were his errors. The first interception was overthrown, with the ball zooming past the receiver and into the hands of a defender. His second was intended for tight end Theo Ohrstrom, but the pass fell short and was picked off.
It's not like the O-line was sub-par either. Weigman's protectors only allowed one sack throughout the night, giving the quarterback time to throw in the pocket.
To give Weigman some slack, some players take time to get their groove back after experiencing a major injury. Additionally, the Fighting Irish have a very formidable defense, which includes names such as Benjamin Morrison (CB) and Xavier Watts (S) — dubbed by many as the top two returning players for Notre Dame this season.
Still, every game matters significantly in College Football. With only 12 opponents for each team, postseason Bowl and CFP selections are determined by small margins. With that being said, Texas A&M fans certainly expect nothing less than a bounce-back game from Connor Weigman this coming Saturday.
