GOLDEN CHRONICLES OF NOTRE DAME

By Omar Ureña

South Bend, IN., September 4th, 2024.

A long time ago, a Sunday sports show called “La Cabalgata Gillette” was broadcast on Mexican TV. The illustration on the screen showed boxing gloves and punches. Tonight, the Notre Dame cavalcade arrived like a herd of seasoned horses in College Station, Texas, right where the soul of the 12th man was born. A group of thirsty horsemen came from South Bend to reenact a battle between two top 25 teams. Irish and Aggies meet for the sixth time and somehow history has unfolded in the Lone Star State. College Station and the Cotton Bowl. It’s always in Texas.

#7 Notre Dame takes on #20 Texas A&M. A new head coach, Mike Elko, welcomes Coach Marcus Freeman, leader of these golden gunslingers ready to turn their souls into bullets shooting in the Wild West. Tonight 8.2 million people are watching the start, setting a record after the 2022 night battle between Notre Dame and Ohio State with 10.5 million. The excitement is gigantic before the duel of two hungry teams. In Texas everything is bigger, even the noise. White pompoms everywhere in an electrifying atmosphere. 

The first series shows that it is a ‘hard core’ defensive fight. Both defenses established their rules immediately, we miss our friend Gabriel Rubio (97), but here are the two relentless steeds who have stood firm, neighing with courage. Rylie Mills (99) and Howard Cross III (56) are the monsters of the trenches in front of an offensive line that is seeing its soldiers fall. It is the beginning of a new football season and the pain begins to manifest itself in different ways; physical pain, injury or simply the heroic act of fighting to survive the enemy. 

The Aggies show power by executing a couple of plays with pieces that evolve into a strategic duel. How and where are they going to direct the bullets? The QBs are throwing but no one can find the end zone. The Aggies kicked a 49-yard field goal, their second of the night to take a 6-3 lead.

Notre Dame QB out of Duke, Riley Leonard, looks stunned and frail, the running backs are gasping for air trying to find non-existent holes. The lanes are closed and the ball carriers are trying to escape a stampede of brown jerseys charging in all directions. There is no place to run or hide. The Irish offensive line looks confused and the Aggies are moving as fast as revolvers. There is DT Shemar Turner and LB Taurean York closing in and breathing down Riley’s neck. The 12th man is calling for Irish blood in Texas.

Mitch Jeter (98) hits a 26-yard field goal to tie the game 6-6. Howard Cross III swings his arms first against the Texas A&M offensive line and gets a sack. It’s been a mistake-filled first half for the Irish, yellow handkerchiefs were given away like candy. Notre Dame had seven penalties in the first half for 59 yards. The road is unpaved, it’s a Texas desert field. It’s rough terrain and the Irish are getting beat up. The Aggies have been pounding them into the dust. Texas A&M tried a last-minute drive, but Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (0) intercepted a pass and the teams went into halftime tied 6-6.

It took 2 quarters and a locker room speech from Coach Freeman to shake off the pressure and let the Irish know that this is going to be a long season to make it to the top 12. And if they don’t get a boost in the second half, the road back home will be one of the loneliest trips, like the horses in Juan Rulfo’s story “Don’t you hear the dogs barking?”, carrying a corpse on their backs in the middle of the night while all kinds of dogs were barking. 

On 3rd and 10, the explosiveness of the offensive line finally gets the ground attack going, running with precision and courage. The loud stadium couldn’t be more intimidating with all the white towels, 107,000 souls screaming and clamoring for dominance against the Irish. They beat them in the 2000 season, why not ruin their aspirations right now? It’s No. 20 in the nation trying to take down No. 7.

The Notre Dame offense was finally able to get yards on its second drive of the third quarter. The Fighting Irish get into Aggies territory when Cooper Flanagan catches a 16-yard pass from Leonard and Jadarian Price runs behind the proud linemen’s big block and outruns the Aggies secondary for a 47-yard touchdown run.

The Texas A&M coaching staff wasn’t contemplating seeing their gunmen fall in their own territory. By no means, the defense was impatient, impressive and unstoppable. LBs and defensive backs were all over the place, the Irish offensive line could get 4 shots at, but when the Aggies attacked with 6, the lead went into their armor like shots inflicted in a western duel. For Irish linemen Aamil Wagner, Sam Pendleton and Anthonie Knapp it was their first time starting a game.

The intensity of this game is the momentum that carried over into the Chicago Tochito Academy championship game in Evanston, when the Soldiers fell 30-18 to the Jaguars in Evanston. Soldiers kids like Felix Robinson, and Aden Aguinaga faced off against Jaguars speed flag football players like QB Amir Rice, Gabriel Flores, and season MVP Austin Ramirez. These kids sweated and their fighting spirits clashed with each other. The Irish were in a fight, as I told the Soldiers and Jaguars today, no matter how tough things get, don’t give up. Notre Dame’s offensive line didn’t give up and showed great character and now the power was rolling at full speed. 

Texas A&M stopped the Irish, took control after a punt, and tied the game with a 65-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run. Jeremiyah Love, who ran hard and decided he was going to turn the Aggies’ wagon around and get out of the way of the Irish’s path to victory. The heat is strong at Kyle Field, the same temple where Johnny Manziel preached that he was going to be a million-dollar guy. The heat of the Texas desert can create hallucinations and the illusion of winning for the Aggies was being covered in dust and shiny gold helmets that hit hard and punished their bodies.

In the Notre Dame secondary, the great Benji Morrison (20) shines, who knew how to cover receivers in the Arizona desert, the path where Mexicans and South Americans walk slowly to enter the land of the American dream. The Irish prayed before this game, visualized the race of their horses, playing with pure intensity. The Aggies started strong but for the Irish it is better to finish strong.

Notre Dame WR Beaux Collins made a stunning 20-yard reception to keep the game-clinching drive alive. After the two-minute break, Jeremiyah Love burst down the right side of the line for a 21-yard touchdown run. The Irish added the final 3 points on Jeter’s 46-yard field goal with just 1:04 left. The defense did its job and that was it. The Irish beat No. 20 on the road. This was coach Marcus Freeman’s eighth win over a ranked opponent. 

The Irish lifted their souls with two interceptions, their cavalcade moving forward in force, making the Aggies their victims in a ritual that had the stadium roaring deafeningly. 

Not even 13 men in Aggie uniforms would have survived the heart and courage of 11 riders who fought like an army of golden warriors on their quest to conquer Texas tonight in a memorable battle. 

NOTRE DAME 23

TEXAS A&M 13