No. 7 Notre Dame’s offense came out strong in the second half, leading to a 23-13 victory over No. 20 Texas A&M.

RB Jeremiyah Love scored the go-ahead touchdown with a 21-yard run on the first play of the two-minute timeout, capping an eight-play drive that covered 85 yards in 4:29.

A&M had a chance to tie or take the lead with 1:54 left, but Notre Dame DB Christian Gray jumped the route on a fourth-down pass to force an incomplete pass as Texas A&M failed to gain a first down. Notre Dame then tacked on three points with 30 seconds left to officially put the game out of reach.

After the two teams scored a pair of field goals in the first half, Notre Dame scored its first touchdown of the game in the third quarter when Jadarian Price broke a 47-yard touchdown run down the sideline.

A&M tied the game in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when Le’Veon Moss scored a 1-yard TD on the 10th play of a 65-yard drive. The teams traded points after Moss’ TD before Notre Dame went on its game-winning drive.

Notre Dame’s run game won

Former Duke QB Riley Leonard was much more effective on the ground than in the air in his first game in a Notre Dame uniform.

The Fighting Irish rushed 34 times for 198 yards on Saturday night, while Leonard had 12 carries for 63 yards. Love led the team with 14 carries for 91 yards, and Price had just 44 yards on eight carries despite the 47-yard TD run.

Leonard was 18 of 30 passing for 158 yards as Notre Dame struggled to find much through the air. He rushed twice for 18 yards on the game-winning drive and also hit Beaux Collins for a clutch 20-yard completion before Love scored the go-ahead TD.

The success on the ground was a statement for a Notre Dame offensive line that replaced several starters from a season ago. The Irish were no match for the Aggies’ defensive line up front, opening up the creases in the second half.

Texas A&M struggles on offense

The game was Collin Klein’s first as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator. The former K-State play caller showed some creativity early in the game, but A&M’s offense faltered as the game progressed.

Conner Weigman had a rough night. Making his first start since a season-ending foot injury four games into the 2023 campaign, the QB was just 12 of 30 for 100 yards and two interceptions. The Aggies’ longest completion of the night was 18 yards, and they just couldn’t get the ball down the field.

Weigman showed promise in his brief time as A&M’s starter last season, so his performance Saturday night isn’t a referendum on his potential as the Aggies’ starter. But it was clear that the Aggies were missing Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart. Smith played his final season of college football last season, while Stewart transferred to Oregon in the offseason. Jahdae Walker and Noah Thomas return as the Aggies’ leading returning receivers, but they combined for just 41 yards on seven catches Saturday night.

The Irish’s Road to the Playoffs

If A&M wins at least eight games in 2024, a Notre Dame victory could prove crucial to the Irish’s playoff chances. Florida State — a team that lost to Georgia Tech in Week 0 — and USC are the only other teams on Notre Dame’s schedule that were ranked in the AP Top 25 to start the season.

The schedule is very good for Notre Dame to win 10 games or more. But the quality of those wins will also matter. And unless someone not on the schedule has a breakout season, Notre Dame will need A&M to have a good season to bolster its playoff resume at the end of the year.