Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts made a dramatic interception to prevent Texas A&M from scoring before halftime.

The Aggies appeared to approach a late first-half drive with a conservative approach, but turned aggressive shortly after Conner Weigman threw a pass to Noah Thomas for 10 yards and ran the ball 9 yards. With 46 seconds left, Weigman threw a pass over the middle and Watts read it all the way down the stretch, making a diving catch for the pick.

The offense didn’t do much with it, partly because of a holding penalty called on left tackle Anthonie Knapp — a true freshman making his first start — but that was likely intentional. With Notre Dame getting the second-half kickoff, there was little incentive to risk a turnover that could have given Texas A&M points before halftime.

The most important thing about Watts’ interception is that it kept the Aggies from even scoring a field goal before halftime. It would have been nice if Notre Dame had scored, but keeping the score tied before halftime is still a win.

Interception, Notre Dame battles the Irish defense! Xavier Watts with a clutch pick with the score tied at 6-6 going into the first half against Texas A&M! #NDvsTAMU #TAMU #CFB photo.twitter.com/6jL3m87IXZ

— Black Jobs Tsar (@SwaptySports) September 1, 2024

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