COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 7 Notre Dame spoiled Texas A&M coach Mike Elko’s debut and made a statement Saturday night, claiming a 23-13 victory over the No. 20 Aggies with a strong second-half performance before 107,315 at Kyle Field.

The victory, Notre Dame’s first away win over an AP-polled SEC opponent since 2004, tested the Irish’s patience. They didn’t take the lead until 6:50 left in the third quarter, thanks to a 47-yard touchdown run down the left sideline by Jadarian Price.

“Man, that was a huge win for our program over a really, really good football team,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “That’s an impressive football team. … It wasn’t pretty. The defense played great, (forced) turnovers.”

It also marked the debut of new Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, who played three years at Duke and was the team captain for two seasons under Elko before they both left after the 2023 season. He finished 18 of 30 for 158 yards and rushed for 63 more against an A&M defensive line that Freeman said was likely the best the Irish would see all season, and praised Leonard and the offense for staying patient and not making a “damaging mistake.”

“It’s tough, especially in that environment,” Leonard said. “That’s an environment that I’m sure none of us have ever played in before. The SEC is different. Coming here to Texas is different. I remember looking up and trying to see the end of the stands, and you literally couldn’t see the top. Unbelievable place to play. Very thankful for the outcome, obviously.”

He said he recognized some of his former coach’s old tricks, especially on third downs, where the Irish were 2-of-12.

“I feel like there was a game in the game when I let him play,” Leonard said. “Obviously, the third-down packages are always big and he got me a couple times with the protections. He drew some really good stuff. … It’s funny because we’re playing Notre Dame against A&M, but there’s obviously a rivalry, so to speak, between me and coach. It’s all love at the end of the day, but we’re both very competitive.”

Elko said he didn’t enjoy the experience.

“It wasn’t fun,” Elko said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be fun. He made a lot of big plays. … He did what he did and made enough plays to win the football game. I told him after the game that I loved him. I’ll be rooting for that kid the rest of his life.”

The Irish defense held the Aggies’ offense to 246 yards all night long and pressured Aggies starter Conner Weigman into a subpar performance, going 12-of-30 for 100 yards with two interceptions, including just 5-of-16 for 61 yards on throws of five or more yards downfield. The Aggies’ 13 points were their fewest in a season opener since 2000, also against Notre Dame.

“A huge tone setter,” Notre Dame safety Adon Shuler said. “The hype is what we wanted and we got things done.”

For the Aggies’ large crowd, it was a disappointment after the excitement of Elko’s debut following the firing of Jimbo Fisher and his massive $77.6 million buyout. The Aggies couldn’t get their offense going, and eventually the Irish’s ground game took over, rushing for 198 yards and taking control of the game late in the game. The ground game wore the Aggies down late in the game, rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns after halftime, including 85 yards on contact, according to ESPN Stats & Information Research. Jeremiyah Love had 91 rushing yards and his first career rushing touchdown against an FBS opponent.

“They came here and they beat us,” said Elko, a former Notre Dame defensive coordinator. “There really wasn’t any other way to do it.”

For the Irish, it’s been a strong start to Year 3 for Freeman, who is looking to become the first Irish coach to win nine or more games in each of his first three seasons since Dan Devine in 1975-77. Freeman went 9-4 and 10-3 in his first two years, and the Irish are favored to win every game the rest of the schedule according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Leonard feels this first victory was a big step.

“I think if we can come into this environment and beat a team like this, that is as well-coached as they are, it gives us the confidence to play in any environment in the country,” Leonard said.