Riley Leonard, No. 7 Notre Dame Championed By CFB Fans After Road Win vs. Texas A&M

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard's bid to lead his new team back to the College Football Playoff is off to a victorious start.

The Fighting Irish pulled ahead late to claim a 23-13 win against host Texas A&M on Saturday night in a back-and-forth battle between ranked opponents.

Jeremiyah Love ran in a 21-yard touchdown with fewer than two minutes left on the clock to seal the victory.

Notre Dame's ability to break the tie late in the fourth on enemy territory impressed fans hoping to see the Fighting Irish back in the CFP for the first time since 2020 this winter.

The season opener got off to a slow start as neither Notre Dame nor Texas A&M made it to the end zone through two quarters. The teams went into the halftime break tied 6-6.

The Fighting Irish finally sparked some offense in the third quarter as running back Jadarian Price ran for a 47-yard touchdown to put Notre Dame ahead.

Notre Dame struggled to get the ball back into the end zone following Price's score, eventually allowing Texas A&M to tie the game with a rushing touchdown from Le'Veon Moss.

But the Fighting Irish offensive line stood tall late to help get the ball down the field before Love scored his go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.

Notre Dame finished the game with 158 passing yards compared to 198 rushing yards. Leonard connected on 18 of 30 passes for 158 yards, while adding 63 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Notre Dame returns to action next Saturday for the home opener against Northern Illinois. Texas A&M meanwhile will look for the team's first win of the season when they return to Kyle Field to take on McNeese State the same day.