Instant Reaction | Notre Dame 23 Texas A&M 13
Lee Corso knew. Or maybe he just wanted to throw on the Leprechaun outfit again because he’s a showman. Either way, he was the only person on ESPN’s College Gameday panel that picked Notre Dame to win tonight.
I don’t think anyone could really be blamed for picking Texas A&M. They saw a mismatch and figured it was big enough that it would make the difference in a tight game. And they probably thought they’d be proven correct when A&M drove the ball on Notre Dame and tied the game at 13 in the fourth quarter.
There were definitely some people who were thinking that momentum had swung and it was only a matter of time before Mike Elko’s team and their bigger linemen wore down Notre Dame on both sides of the football.
Those people clearly didn’t know enough about Notre Dame’s defense. They didn’t know enough about Notre Dame’s one-two punch at running back. They didn’t realize that Riley Leonard had been in these types of games before and Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman hadn’t.
They didn’t think about the reasons why Notre Dame would start two young players on the O-line over more experienced options. They only saw a reason to pick against Notre Dame or that Marcus Freeman hadn’t won a big road game like this before.
Through grit, toughness, and plenty of talented playmakers too, the Irish proved why they were the higher ranked team coming in and why they shouldn’t be a team that people overlook this season.
- I don’t think any conversation about this game can start without the offensive line being the first topic. There were expected ups and downs. Of course there was going to be with a group this young and with three of them starting their first games in a Notre Dame uniform.
This group never wilted, though. Shemar Turner and Nic Scourton are great players and made plays, but neither came close to taking over the game as some predicted.
A lot of credit for that deserves to go to Mike Denbrock for how he smartly called the game and for Leonard for the way he navigated it, but the group and their coach, Joe Rudolph, deserve to be praised as well.
For the moments when they were mistakes in protection or just flat out getting beat, there were counters to that with the line battling with what was probably the best defensive line they’ll see all season. None of those were greater than Jerimiyah Love’s touchdown run when Sam Pendleton had a great down block that opened up a hole and Anthonie Knapp sealed a defender at the second level to allow Love to run to daylight.
There was a ton of pressure on them. If Notre Dame lost, most would have pointed to the line as the main reason why. They did enough to help them win and there’s plenty of positives to take away from what they accomplished.
- I think it’s fair to say we have confirmation that Love and Jadarian Price are as good as we thought they’d be. I know Price’s numbers don’t look spectacular outside of the one touchdown run, but he also had that other big run taken off the board. And that touchdown run was special.
Taurean York is A&M’s best linebacker and he had Price in the hole. York was left hugging air and Price breathed life into the offense.
Love showed he can run tough, be explosive, and that the hype was warranted. He seized the moment on that final touchdown drive.
- Denbrock found the right mix of quick game, screens, and quarterback run game to manufacture yards. Even if the execution might have been lacking at times, it was the right way to approach it and Leonard was the right player to run it.
I know some fans might have been frustrated by the lack of downfield passing, but that was clearly intentional to protect the young line and his quarterback. Leonard made enough throws when needed, like that great back shoulder completion to Beaux Collins, and his ability to turn negative plays into positive ones was huge.
- I don’t think it can be overstated how much harder this game was going to be without Mitchell Evans. I don’t know his total snap count, but it was low. I also don’t know when he’s going to be back all the way, but when he is, that is going to be a big deal for the offense.
- A&M had zero explosive plays.
That’s right. A bagel. A donut. Zero. They got nothing.
Offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s Kansas State offense finished 16th in 20+ yard plays from scrimmage last season and he was handed the keys to an offense that didn’t lack talent. They could basically field a 4X100 team at receiver, brought back an offensive line that had over 100 career starts, and had a touted former 5-star at quarterback who many projected to be a first round pick next spring.
They averaged 3.6 yards per play and Conner Weigman averaged 3.3 yards per attempt. Le’veon Moss is a good back who played well and was their most dangerous player. He averaged 3.5 yards per carry.
None of that should be shocking to Notre Dame fans, but maybe it was to others who didn’t realize that Elko wasn’t the only great defensive coach in this game.
Al Golden’s group did what they always do. They pressured, they were sound on the back end, and the playmakers made plays. Everyone was getting in on it and individuals like Adon Shuler, Drayk Bowen, and Christian Gray introduced themselves to the country tonight on top of the more established veterans.
There were a handful of NFL general managers in attendance to watch this game in person and they saw another top quarterback prospect struggle against Notre Dame’s defense.
- I guess there were some murmurs about Mitch Jeter heading into this game and I’m not sure why that was, but clearly they were unfounded. He remains very good and was clutch tonight.
- To say this game meant a lot to how people perceive Marcus Freeman as head coach wasn’t hyperbole. If he had lost this game, in year three and against another coach in his first game at a new program, Freeman would have received a ton of heat.
Even if it might have been unfair for that to happen, it was definitely going to happen.
The good faith he has built up with the majority of Notre Dame fans could have been damaged if they lost this game. They want Freeman to succeed. They just wanted more evidence they could point to that it will happen and winning this type of game against this type of opponent on the road in a hostile environment under these circumstances is that.
These are his players. That’s his quarterback who he went out and got in the portal. This is his defensive coordinator he hired when he wasn’t a hot name for college DC jobs. This is his highly paid offensive coordinator that he went out and got. This is his team.
Not everything went right. There were costly penalties (on both sides). He was aggressive at the start of the third quarter with two 4th down attempts and it almost came back to bite him. Even if the ACC replay officials clearly blew the call on the failed attempt, no one would care about that if Notre Dame had lost the game a few months from now.
Winners don’t have to give excuses. Freeman didn’t have to after this game because his team went out and won it. When that attempt failed, his defense went out and got the stop immediately after. They had his back. Then the offense went right back out and scored the first touchdown of the game.
Every player wants to play for a coach who’s aggressive and is making calls because he believes in them. That’s who Freeman is and why his players clearly play hard for him.
This was a statement win for Notre Dame and for him. With the way the schedule is set up, there aren’t many opportunities like this for them to make this kind of statement, so what they were able to do tonight was a massive win for the program and a great first step in what can be a special season.
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