Ehsan KassimUSA TODAY NETWORK
Show Caption
Notre Dame football began Year 3 of the Marcus Freeman tenure with a significant Week 1 road victory.
The No. 7 Fighting Irish defeated No. 20 Texas A&M 23-13 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. ESPN's "College GameDay" was on the site for the matchup, and all the analysts — minus Lee Corso — picked the Aggies to pull off the home victory over Notre Dame.
Watch Notre Dame vs TAMU on Fubo (free trial)
The Fighting Irish have won two straight in the series and now lead the all-time series 4-2. Notre Dame trailed twice in the first half and took its first lead on a 47-yard touchdown run from JadarianPrice in the third quarter. After the Aggies tied it at 13 in the fourth quarter, the Fighting Irish re-took the lead following an eight-play drive with less than two minutes remaining on a 21-yard touchdown for Jeremiyah Love.
The Fighting Irish defense then forced a turnover on downs from the Aggies defense, allowing kicker Mitch Jeter to drill his third field goal with 30 seconds remaining to clinch the victory. Notre Dame finished with 356 yards of offense to A&M's 246.
Leonard completed 18 of 30 passes for 158 yards and also added 63 rushing yards on 12 carries. Love had 14 rushes for 91 yards and his touchdown. Conner Weigman finished the night completing 12 of 30 passes for 100 yards and two interceptions. Le'Veon Moss rushed for 70 yards on 20 carries and scored the lone touchdown for the Aggies.
Notre Dame won despite being called for 11 penalties for a total loss of 99 yards. It hosts Northern Illinois at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday in South Bend.
Here's a look at highlights, scoring and other updates from the Notre Dame-Texas A&M top-20 football matchup to open the 2024 season:
Notre Dame vs Texas A&M score updates
| TEAMS | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
| NOTRE DAME | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 23 |
| TEXAS A&M | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
Final: Notre Dame 23, Texas A&M 13
Notre Dame escapes College Station with 10-point victory vs Texas A&M
11:20 p.m.: No. 7 Notre Dame goes on the road and pulls off the 23-13 victory over No. 20 Texas A&M. The victory is big over an SEC opponent. Marcus Freeman opens his third season as the Irish coach with a major victory in Riley Leonard's Notre Dame debut.
11:15 p.m.: Mitch Jeter hits a 46-yard field goal for Notre Dame to push the lead to 23-13 with 30 seconds remaining. Marcus Freeman coached a very aggressive game and will come away with the road victory.
Christian Gray records big PBU
11:11 p.m.: Christian Gray jumps a route on a pass from Conner Weigman to force an incompletion on fourth-and-2 from the A&M 33 to force a turnover on downs. Notre Dame can ice the game with one first down.
Jeremiyah Love gives Notre Dame late lead
11:05 p.m.: JeremiyahLove caps an eight-play, 85-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown run to give Notre Dame a 20-13 lead with 1:54 left in the game. Love has 12 rushes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Riley Leonard had a couple of big throws and runs on the drive as well.
10:51 p.m.: Notre Dame's defense forces a three-and-out for Texas A&M and gets the ball back with 6:23 remaining. The Irish will start their drive from their own 15 following a 61-yard punt from A&M kicker Tyler White.
10:45 p.m.: After picking up one first down, Notre Dame is forced to punt it away from its own 36. A false start penalty cost the Irish on the drive. They have been called for 11 penalties for 99 yards. Notre Dame has 266 yards of offense.
Texas A&M ties game on Le'Veon Moss touchdown
10:37 p.m.: Le'Veon Moss takes it in from a yard out and Texas A&M ties the game at 13-13 with 11:49 left in the game. It was a 10-play, 65-yard drive for the Aggies with 3:43 coming off the game clock.
End of third quarter: Notre Dame 13, Texas A&M 6
10:24 p.m.: Shemar Stewart hits Riley Leonard as he throws it to force an errant throw on third-and-3 to force another Notre Dame punt. A&M starts the drive on its own 47. That will take us to the end of the third quarter.
10:20 p.m.: Notre Dame forces Texas A&M to punt from midfield following an eight-play drive. With 1:22 remaining in the third, the Irish will likely take the lead into the final quarter in a challenging atmosphere in College Station.
Jadarian Price gives Notre Dame lead with touchdown
10:08 p.m.: Jadarian Price scores the first touchdown for Notre Dame in the 2024 college football season. He evaded a tackle and scampered in from 47 yards out to score the touchdown. The extra point is good. Four plays, 64 yards on the scoring drive for the Irish.
Notre Dame defense forces a turnover on downs for Texas A&M
10:00 p.m.: Facing a fourth-and-9 from the ND 37, the Aggies returned the favor of going for it on fourth down instead of a field goal. Conner Weigman's pass falls incomplete and the Irish will take over.
Notre Dame turns it over on downs
Marcus Freeman attempted for a second fourth-and-short attempt of the drive, but this one was a keeper by Riley Leonard, and the A&M defense comes up with the stop despite a great effort from Leonard. The Aggies take over near midfield. The play is under review and the ruling on the field is upheld.
9:52 p.m.: Riley Leonard converts a fourth-and-1 from the Notre Dame 34 for a first down. A gutsy call after Texas A&M linebacker Scooby Williams tackles Jeremiyah Love on a third-and-short rushing attempt to force a fourth down from the Irish 33.
Halftime: Texas A&M 6, Notre Dame 6
Some halftime stats of note:
- Total yards: Notre Dame 139, Texas A&M 127
- Rushing yards: Notre Dame 65, Texas A&M 59
- Passing yards: Notre Dame 74, Texas A&M 68
- First downs: Notre Dame 9, Texas A&M 9
- Penalties-yards: Notre Dame 7-59, Texas A&M 4-40
Notre Dame and Texas A&M head into halftime tied 6-6
9:27 p.m.: Despite starting on its own 49, a holding call on the drive's first play mitigates any chance of a potential scoring drive for the Irish. Instead, they run it once to bleed out the clock. Notre Dame gets the ball coming out of the halftime break.
Xavier Watts picks off Conner Weigman
9:24 p.m.: Xavier Watts picks off Conner Weigman. Notre Dame will start its drive near midfield. It's Weigman's second interception of the night.
9:18 p.m.: Despite a 29-yard run by Jeremiyah Love to get Notre Dame to midfield, the Irish punted the ball away. Notre Dame initially lined up to go for it from the A&M 40 on a fourth-and-9 before the 2-minute timeout. The Aggies had 10 players on the field but ND elected not to run a play before the timeout.
Howard Cross III sacks Conner Weigman to force a punt
9:06 p.m.: Howard Cross III sacks Conner Weigman for an 11-yard loss on third down. The Irish rushed just four and were able to get the sack. It forces a punt for the Aggies.
Notre Dame ties game following interception
8:59 p.m.: Mitch Jeter hits a 26-yard field goal to take advantage of a short field for the Fighting Irish to even the game at 6-6. Notre Dame started its drive on A&M's 29 and got to the 8-yard line before being unable to convert a third down attempt from the 8.
Adon Shuler picks off Connor Weigman
8:52 p.m.: Adon Shuler picks off Conner Weigman on a pass intended for Noah Thomas. ND starts its drive on the A&M 29 after a 12-yard return.
8:47 p.m.: Riley Leonard completed two straight passes for first downs on the second and third plays of the third Notre Dame drive. However, pressure from Scooby Williams forced Leonard to lose a yard on a keeper on third-and-long. Notre Dame is forced to punt again.
8:38 p.m.: Randy Bond hits a 49-yard field goal to give Texas A&M a 6-3 lead with 14:14 left in the second quarter. It's Bonds' second kick of over 40 yards. The scoring drive for the Aggies was eight plays for 31 yards and took 3:45 off the clock.
End first quarter: Texas A&M 3, Notre Dame 3
8:32 p.m.: Notre Dame and Texas A&M are tied 3-3 after one quarter in the season opener from College Station. The Aggies will face a third-and-3 from the Irish 33 when the second quarter begins.
8:28 p.m.: Texas A&M forces a 3-and-out for Notre Dame. James Rendell punts for the Fighting Irish and the Aggies will begin their third drive from their own 37.
8:25 p.m.: On its second drive of the game, Texas A&M picked up a first down on a pass interference penalty. However, the Aggies had to punt from its own 44 after failing to convert a 3rd-and-6. A false start on a third-and-1 negated a 3-yard rush by Conner Weigman.
Tyler White's 43-yard punt pinned Notre Dame back at its own 13 with 3:59 left in the first quarter.
8:10 p.m.: Mitch Jeter hits a 46-yard field goal to even the score at 3-3. Nine-play, 47-yard drive in 4:28 game clock for the Fighting Irish to tie the game.
8:08 p.m.: Riley Leonard picked up a 9-yard gain on third-and-long for Notre Dame on its first drive. Leonard was also hit late by Dalton Brooks, who was called for targeting and Brooks was ejected as a result. The Irish are at the TAMU 35 and driving.
Texas A&M strikes first with field goal
8:00 p.m.: Randy Bond hits a 34-yard field goal to give Texas A&M a 3-0 lead on its first drive. Conner Weigman with 33 passing yards on the drive, added seven more yards rushing. The scoring drive was 10 plays, 58 yards and took 3:53 off the clock.
7:48 p.m.: Notre Dame won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Texas A&M will get the ball first.
Pregame
7:18 p.m.: Ahead of the Notre Dame team taking the field for stretches, senior wide receiver Jayden Thomas delivered a pep talk and fired up the team.
Ted Cruz speaks pregame, delivers warning to Notre Dame
6:48 p.m.: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) spoke pregame of the Texas A&M and Notre Dame game and delivered a warning to Notre Dame.
6:34 p.m.: No changes to the two-deep depth chart for the Fighting Irish.
5:33 p.m.: As anticipated for a major top-20 showdown, plenty of NFL scouts have a presence at the opener between Notre Dame and Texas A&M. The New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints each have two outs, while the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns also have scouts there.
5:10 p.m.: Here's a look at the referee crew for the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M matchup tonight:
4:53 p.m.: According to South Bend Tribune writer Mike Berardino, it is 89 degrees a couple of hours ahead of kickoff for the game in College Station.
3:51 p.m.: While four of the ESPN "College GameDay" crew picked Texas A&M to beat Notre Dame, Lee Corso did pick the Fighting Irish to win.
Notre Dame vs Texas A&M time today
- Date:Saturday, Aug. 31
- Time:7:30 p.m. ET
- Location:Kyle Field in College Station, Texas
What channel is Notre Dame vs Texas A&M game on today?
- TV channel:ABC
- Streaming:ESPN+|Fubo (free trial)
The Aggies-Fighting Irish will air on ABC. Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will call the game from Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. Herbstreit and Rowe will also be at the USC-LSU game on Sunday.
The game can be streamedon ESPN+,ESPN's streaming platform, oron Fubo,which carries ABC and the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to select users.
Notre Dame vs Texas A&M history
- Series record:Notre Dame leads 3-2
- Notre Dame last win:Sept. 29, 2000 (24-10)
- Texas A&M last win: Sept. 2, 2001 (24-3)
Notre Dame vs Texas A&M predictions
Mike Berardino,South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 16. Riley Leonard and Co. start fast, bring down the decibel level to a merely annoying level at Kyle Field. One of the nation’s best defenses will keep it right there.
Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune: The Irish need to let the defense dominate and do enough offensively to not lose this one. Just get in, get out and get home 1-0.
Austin Hough, South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame 17, Texas A&M 14. Mitch Jeter kicks a field goal as time expires for the win. Irish fans everywhere let out a collective sign of relief because of it.
Notre Dame vs Texas A&M betting odds
Odds courtesyofBetMGMas of Thursday, Aug. 29
- Spread:Texas A&M (-3)
- Over/under:46
- Money line:Texas A&M (-150) Notre Dame (+125)
Notre Dame vs Texas A&M injury updates
- Notre Dame:safety Tae Johnson (out for the season), OT Charles Jagusah (out for the season), safety Taebron Bennie Powell (out for the season), OT Styles Prescod (out for the season), cornerback Chance Tucker (out for the season), defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio (out)
- Texas A&M:RB Reuben Owens (out for the season)
Notre Dame vs Texas A&M weather updates
- Temperature at kick-off:95 degrees
Notre Dame football schedule 2024: TV channels, dates, start times
All times Eastern.
- Saturday, Aug. 31:Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M | 7:30 p.m. |ESPNU (Fubo)ESPN+
- Saturday, Sept. 7:Notre Dame vs. Northern Illinois | 3:30 p.m. | NBC(Fubo), Peaco*ck
- Saturday, Sept. 14:Notre Dame at Purdue | 3:30 p.m. |CBS (Fubo)
- Saturday, Sept. 21:Notre Dame vs. Miami (Ohio) | 3:30 p.m. | NBC(Fubo), Peaco*ck
- Saturday, Sept. 28:Notre Dame vs. Louisville | 3:30 p.m. | Peaco*ck
- Saturday, Oct. 5:BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 12:Notre Dame vs. Stanford | 3:30 p.m. | NBC(Fubo), Peaco*ck
- Saturday, Oct. 19:Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech
- Saturday, Oct. 26: Notre Dame vs. Navy | Noon
- Saturday, Nov. 2:BYE
- Saturday, Nov. 9:Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Florida State | 7:30 p.m. | NBC(Fubo), Peaco*ck
- Saturday, Nov. 16:Notre Dame vs. Virginia | 3:30 p.m. | NBC(Fubo), Peaco*ck
- Saturday, Nov. 23:Notre Dame vs. Army | 7 p.m. | NBC(Fubo), Peaco*ck
- Friday, Nov. 29:Notre Dame at No. 23 USC
Texas A&M football schedule 2024: TV channels, dates, start times
All times Eastern.
- Saturday, Aug. 31:Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | ABC (Fubo)
- Saturday, Sept. 7:Texas A&M vs. McNeese | 12:45 p.m. | SEC Network (Fubo)
- Saturday, Sept. 14:Texas A&M at Florida | 3:30 p.m. | ABC (Fubo)*
- Saturday, Sept. 21:Texas A&M vs. Bowling Green | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+, SEC Network+
- Saturday, Sept. 28:Texas A&M vs. Arkansas*
- Saturday, Oct. 5:Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Missouri | Noon | ABC or ESPN (Fubo)*
- Saturday, Oct. 12:BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 19:Texas A&M at Mississippi State*
- Saturday, Oct. 26:Texas A&M vs. No. 12 LSU*
- Saturday, Nov. 2:Texas A&M at South Carolina*
- Saturday, Nov. 9:BYE
- Saturday, Nov. 16: Texas A&M vs. New Mexico State | 7:45 p.m. | SEC Network (Fubo)*
- Saturday, Nov. 23:Texas A&M at Auburn*
- Saturday, Nov. 30:Texas A&M vs. No. 4 Texas*
* Denotes SEC game
Notre Dame football news
- Notre Dame football hopes to get safety Tae Tae Johnson back this year after foot surgery
- Column: Notre Dame football overdue to meet the moment and deliver at Texas A&M
- What does Notre Dame football depth chart look like now that game week has arrived?
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
