Hello team, for the post-game thoughts this year, we’ll have a rotating cast of characters. I’ll be leading off the season.
A season began anew. Texas A&M and Notre Dame met beneath the lights of Kyle Field to begin the 2024 season. A new era was born with Mike Elko at the helm. Unfortunately, the offensive struggles of the Jimbo Fisher era reared their head once again. Texas A&M was never able to get much going and it cost them the game.
Conner Weigman
Weigman had a terrible first half. Absolutely no way to sugarcoat it. The former five-star recruit was 7/17 for with two interceptions. The first interception was an overthrow of Noah Thomas. The second was a ball well behind Theo Melin Ohrstom.
Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images
The second half wasn’t much better as the Weigman continued to struggle with accuracy issues and the non-existence of the downfield passing game. Not all of that is on Weigman as the wide receivers also struggled to get separation. Weigman finished the game at 12-31 for 100 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns.
Offensive Line
The improvement from the offensive line felt dramatic in the first half. While the Aggies did allow a sack it felt like the quarterback was protected more than any time in the past few years.
The rushing game was a little hot and cold. The Aggies finished with 124 yards and one touchdown. Le’Veon Moss showed flashes but the Aggies will need to get more consistent in the run game to have long-term success.
Defense
Overall, a decent performance from the defense but a few concerns. There were multiple times when the edge defenders lost containment, something that will cost you every time.
The game-winning drive saw Notre Dame shove the ball down Texas A&M’s throat as the Aggies looked gassed after a three-and-out from the A&M offense. Notre Dame had 198 total rushing yards as well. Not a great look for the Aggies.
Tyler White
The highly touted punter had a massive 61-yard punt in the first half to flip the field and make Notre Dame’s ensuing drive that much more difficult. In a defensive battle like the one we saw, a trusty punter can be the difference.
White launched another bomb to flip the field in the fourth quarter, this time for 62 yards. Very impressed with the performance out of White in his first action.
Moving Forward
It’s very clear that the offense will need to improve dramatically in 2024, especially at the quarterback position. If Texas A&M hopes to compete in the SEC, they have to find something offensively. Leaving the defense out on the field will hurt that unit long term.
The quarterback position will be a big concern moving forward. It will be interesting to see what Collin Klein does as OC to try to improve on a performance that left a lot to be desired.
It’s a frustrating loss but there is a lot of football left in the season.
BTHOmcneese