Can’t see the forest for the trees. Can’t see the forest for the trees.
This is something I’ve been telling myself over and over since Notre Dame’s 2024 season opener.
Notre Dame got a big boost on Saturday night, beating Texas A&M 23-13.
The Irish were able to defeat the boogeyman that has dogged them for at least the last decade: winning big games. Strip away all of the recent talking points (i.e. the “environment,” the heat, questions about the roster) and focus on the larger context: They pulled off a showpiece win against a solid team (for a Week 1 team at that) in a way that even the most pessimistic observer cannot fault.
It wasn’t the most beautiful win, and there have been plenty of inspiring moments and patterns for those who have followed the program closely in recent seasons, but I ask you, and myself, to resist those intrusive thoughts and truly appreciate the start of a truly promising season for a Notre Dame football team that is capable of great things.
Let’s see if data analytics can help strengthen your defenses.
Scoring Overview
Both teams struggled early — neither offense looked particularly potent in the early going, and the defenses were unclear — and in those moments, it felt like Notre Dame was struggling to come together — offensively and offensively.
The penalty didn’t help either, but let’s look at the positive side.
There were signs in the second quarter that ND was starting to get back on track, but the team really got going in the second half, as the Irish scored the game’s first touchdown, shut out the Aggies in the third quarter and outscored them 10-7 in the fourth quarter. It was a slow start, but one we’ve grown accustomed to, and thanks to stretch techniques it didn’t feel as ominous as it has in recent seasons.
Scoring Details
While special teams, especially the field goal unit, played key roles in Saturday’s game, the rushing consistency was the deciding factor. Notre Dame outscored Texas A&M 3-2 in field goals and 2-1 in rushing touchdowns. Neither team’s passing performance, at least in terms of actual points, will be spectacular.
Drive Details
In terms of yardage, the long drives didn’t really matter. The Irish managed to cap off their longest drive with a touchdown and succeeded when it mattered by avoiding forcing turnovers. A turnover on downs and two interceptions marred the Aggie performance. Luckily for ND fans, many of those fumbles were forced by the Irish defense and not the damage inflicted by A&M.
High-Level Offensive Benchmarks: 2023 Season
Data from the first game of the season doesn’t give us much room to make sweeping comparisons, but let’s try anyway: In most categories, Notre Dame was below the per-game benchmarks for 2023.
The team had 356 yards of total offense against A&M, which puts them at 432 yards per game in 2023. The biggest shortcomings and trade-offs on offense came in the passing game, where Riley Leonard threw for 158 yards while Sam Hartman had 246 yards per game last season. The team slightly surpassed the 2023 rushing yard benchmark, going from 198 to 185.
Passing accuracy also wasn’t as good as expected, but the team still surpassed last season’s rushing efficiency benchmark, though this methodology can be quite misleading, especially considering the averages hide a decline in offensive production for 2023.
Riley Leonard Spotlight
I was punching the air about the “struggles” of the pass for most of the game, but Riley Leonard’s skill set is different than most quarterbacks these days. He demonstrated the ability to make up for passing deficiencies by adding more players to an already deep running back’s space. I was looking for something a little different, and it worked against Texas A&M, and I won’t complain if that continues going forward.
Hurrying Details
Three Notre Dame players dominated the team’s rushing attack with Riley Leonard being a real contributor. Jeremiah Love led the team with 91 yards on 14 carries, accounting for 46% of the Irish’s total ground yards. Leonard fell to second with 63 yards rushing, accounting for 31.8% of the team total. Jadarian Price had 44 yards on eight carries. Love and Price each finished the game with a rushing touchdown. While the rushing strategy was successful, it came with some costs and trade-offs. Texas A&M’s defense had seven tackles for loss across eight players.
Pickup details
Coming into this season, the offensive line was the hot topic, but the wide receiver/tight end group was the one I was most concerned about. We don’t yet have all the answers we wanted about those two position groups, but in my opinion, the potential is there. Beau Collins, a transfer from Clemson, led the team with 5 receptions for 62 yards, and he was in very good form. Other than Jaden Greathouse, there weren’t any individual players that stood out, but the depth and talent is definitely there.
As the game progresses, as the aerial battle begins to develop, the offensive line settles in, and we start playing less “tough” defenses, I imagine the Irish receivers and tight ends will be really fun to watch, and it’s been a while since I’ve felt that way at all.
Defensive highlights
Upfront
Once the defensive line and linebackers settled, Notre Dame’s defense played well. Aggies quarterback Weigman never really got going. Texas A&M rushed for 146 total yards, but was unable to run consistently against the Irish, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. Howard Cross III recorded one sack and one of the team’s three tackles for loss. Fellow defensive lineman Jordan Botero finished with six total tackles, three of which were solo. Linebackers Jack Keyser and Jaylon Snead were standouts. Keyser had eight tackles (four of which were solo) and Snead had five tackles (four of which were solo) and one tackle for loss.
Secondary
Notre Dame’s defense reminded us why it’s one of the most spectacular defenses in college football: safeties Adon Shuler and Xavier Watts both had interceptions and defensive backs Benjamin Morrison and Christian Grey combined for three pass deflections.
At this stage of the season, numbers alone don’t do ND’s defense justice.
lastly
Everyone, enjoy!
While Marcus Freeman brings a lot of continuity to the team in his third season, there has been significant personnel change on the staff and roster, so I knew I wasn’t sure how this team would win, but there was a chance it could happen.
In this first game, the offense wasn’t what we saw at Notre Dame in Kelly’s later years or at Freeman’s last season, but they won. And they won in a way that predicts continued success. Given the strength of the defense, that’s pretty exciting. Plus, this win means I don’t have to pack up and leave Texas, because I really love living here right now.
Cheers! And Go Irish!!