Three things we saw in Notre Dame’s win over Texas A&M

Notre Dame v Texas A&M — Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images

Consider them gigged

Having just returned home from College Station after one of the most distinctive and remarkable nights in my life as a college football fan, I can happily report to you that the home environment of the Texas A&M Aggies lived up to the hype. Indeed, it fulfilled almost every expectation I heard about it, save one – deciding the outcome of their clash with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, despite what various pundits would have had you believe.

Instead the Irish got a hard-earned, emotional dub, by the end of which Kyle Field was quiet and chants of “Let’s go Irish” rang out through the humid Texas night. We talk a lot about villainy on this site and watching the Aggie faithful file out early, their faces evidencing the familiar taste of disappointment, I realized I hadn’t yet seen the Irish embody that role to this extent in person. It was a beautiful, intoxicating, villainous feeling – let’s get into three reasons why I got to feel it.

A New Face in the Secondary

Notre Dame’s secondary was expected to be excellent on Saturday, but they still managed to provide a surprise in the person of Adon Shuler. Playing opposite a known and feared quantity in Xavier Watts, Shuler made his presence felt in a big way in his starting debut. Although he only recorded three tackles, the true sophomore was everywhere for the Irish: providing crucial support in coverage, hovering around the back end as a centerfielder, flying up in run support, forcing Aggie runners into tackles by other Irish defenders. All of this came in addition to recording the game’s first turnover, a massive interception that took a ton of wind out of Connor Weigman’s sails.

Teams can scheme around a player like Watts or Benjamin Morrison if their opponents have another weakness to exploit. Shuler denied Texas A&M that opportunity all night on Saturday, and the result was a dismal stat line for Weigman: 12-30, 2 INTs, 3.3 yards per attempt for a 31.8 QBR.

Riley Leonard: Just Enough

If you wanted to pick out negatives from Riley Leonard’s performance on Saturday, you could find them. 158 yards and only 5.3 yards per attempt with the Irish barely even trying to attack downfield; missed opportunities, including what could have been a wide-open touchdown to Eli Raridon in the second quarter with the Irish down 6-3; a near pick-six that may well have swung this game to the Aggies. But I am not going to dwell on these things, because I am also thoroughly impressed by what Leonard did to win this game for the Irish.

In a hot, hostile atmosphere, under constant pressure and often facing long fields, Leonard never flinched. When the snap was on the ground, he found a way to salvage the play and get positive yards; when no one was open he scrambled and avoided turnovers; when the Irish backs were struggling to run the ball he ran it himself, fearlessly and effectively. Many of us wondered how it was that Leonard got a C on his chest this offseason. After seeing his courage and leadership in action, it’s easy to understand. Improvements in his game must come, and I believe they will; but in a survive-and-advance scenario Leonard gave the Irish just what they needed.

The Winning Edge

In watching this game back on video, one thing that struck me was the edge Notre Dame played with. The Irish were free, fearless and downright nasty at times in an environment where it would have been easy to get intimidated. Sometimes that edge expressed itself as a lack of discipline, as in the numerous offsides penalties, Beaux Collins nearly erasing a spectacular catch by pushing an A&M defender after the play, etc.

But this emotional edge ultimately gave the Irish the upper hand in the second half. As the game went on the Irish only got faster, stronger, and more physical. Despite their being accustomed to hot weather it was the Aggies who found themselves cramping from exhaustion and vomiting on the sidelines, while the Irish only seemed to get hungrier and more focused. Even the Irish fans brought an unexpected level of intensity, as chants of “Let’s go Irish” were heard in the stadium and on TV, drawing the attention of ESPN’s broadcast crew. Far from playing scared as many predicted, Marcus Freeman’s program showed the confidence and toughness that is has long missed and needed. Similar to the earlier point about Riley Leonard’s play, the mistakes here can be cleaned up, but the foundational pieces are there and give Irish fans a lot to be excited about for the season to come.