Jeremiyah Love ran for a go-ahead, 21-yard touchdown with 1:54 remaining and No. 7 Notre Dame held on for a hard-fought 23-13 win over No. 20 Texas A&M on Saturday night in College Station, Texas.
Riley Leonard completed 18 of 30 passes for 158 yards and rushed 12 times for 63 yards to win his Notre Dame (1-0) debut. Love finished with 14 carries for 91 yards and a score, and Jadarian Price ran for 44 yards and a touchdown.
Le’Veon Moss had 20 carries for 70 yards and scored the lone touchdown for Texas A&M (0-1). Conner Weigman completed 12 of 30 passes for 100 yards and two interceptions in the Aggies’ first game under new head coach Mike Elko.
Leonard smiled on the sideline after beating Elko, his former coach. Both the quarterback and the coach moved on to different programs after spending the past two seasons together at Duke.
Love put the Fighting Irish on top by slipping off a couple of defenders on his way to the end zone. The sophomore from St. Louis matched his touchdown total from 2023 with the score.
Mitch Jeter finished the scoring with a 46-yard field goal with 30 seconds left.
Texas A&M opened the scoring with a field goal on its first drive, as Randy Bond made a kick from 34 yards.
Notre Dame pulled even on the next possession. Leonard completed four passes, all of which went for 10 yards or fewer, and Jeter made a 46-yard field goal to cap the drive.
Bond connected again, this time from 49 yards, to put Texas A&M on top 6-3 in the first minute of the second quarter.
The field goal fest continued with 8:32 remaining in the first half. Shortly after Fighting Irish safety Adon Shuler picked off a pass, Jeter made a 26-yarder to even the score at 6.
Notre Dame grabbed a 13-6 lead midway through the third quarter. Price took a handoff up the middle and cut toward the left sideline for a 47-yard scoring run.
The Aggies pulled even at 13 with 11:49 remaining as Moss barreled into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run to finish a 10-play, 65-yard drive.
–Field Level Media