Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M Game Balls
In what is widely believed to be the toughest game and venue No. 7 Notre Dame will play in this season, the Irish came away Saturday night with a 23-13 win over No. 20 Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
And while the game didn’t provide many standout offensive performers, several Irish players still made solid cases to earn a game ball after their outings.
Following are the three that most stood out.
Placekicker Mitch Jeter
In a game where points came at a premium, the Irish graduate student and South Carolina transfer made a memorable debut with his new team by converting all three of his field goal attempts and both of his extra-point tries to help Notre Dame keep things even in the first half and pull away in the fourth quarter.
Jeter’s terrific night included field goals of 46 and 26 yards in the first half, then another 46-yarder with 30 seconds left in the game to cap the scoring and lift the Irish to the 10-point win.
Safety Xavier Watts
The reigning 2023 Bronko Naguski Award winner as the best defensive player in the country last season, Watts picked up where he left off against Texas A&M when he finished the night with 3 tackles, 2 solo, with 1 interception.
Watts’ most memorable play of the game came late in the second quarter when the All-American safety picked off Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman over the middle at midfield to stall a Texas A&M drive that helped preserve a 6-6 tie before halftime.
Known as a ballhawk, Watts last season tied for nation’s lead with 7 interceptions and finished third on the Irish with 52 total tackles.
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Tailback Jeremiyah Love
The sophomore speedster didn’t exactly stuff the stat sheet against Texas A&M with 14 carries for 91 yards.
But his game-winning 21-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter lifted this rising Irish star to game-ball honors.
Tied 13-13 with 2:00 left in the game, Love went up the middle behind great blocking from a young and untested offensive line for a touchdown that put the Irish up 20-13.
Expected to enjoy a breakout season after finishing second on the Irish with 385 rushing yards last year, Love didn’t disappoint in his 2024 debut.
