After a late-game comeback was hindered in South Beach, the Fighting Irish found themselves in “playoff mode” early in the season once again. Mike Elko makes his return to Notre Dame Stadium as the Aggies look to improve to 3-0 and get revenge from last year. Will Marcus Freeman have the trenches ready for this matchup? Will Mike Denbrock produce a better offensive game plan? Fans will have to wait until Saturday night to get an answer to their Week One questions.
Essential Game Info
- Game Time: Saturday, September 13, at 7:30 PM ET on NBC
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
- Matchup History: Notre Dame is 4-2 all-time against the Texas A&M Aggies (Last Meeting 2024: Irish won 23–13)
- Odds: Notre Dame -6.5
Texas A&M Details
- Conference: SEC
- Head Coach: Mike Elko
- 2025 Record: 2-0 (0-0)
- 2024 Record: 8-5 (5-3)
Texas A&M Storylines
How many Aggie fans will invade South Bend? The last time Texas A&M visited Notre Dame Stadium was 2000. Over the years, South Bend has seen a plethora of passionate fan bases take advantage of their “once in a lifetime” opportunity to visit the most iconic venue in college football.
In the last decade, there were a multitude of Texas Longhorns fans (2015), Georgia Bulldogs fans (2017), and even Cincinnati fans (2021). However, I thought there was going to be a “red wave” of Ohio State fans in 2023, but besides the roughly 5,000 allotted “away tickets,” there was a small contingent of scarlet and gray. Undoubtedly, there will be a decent amount of Aggie fans in South Bend to witness their generational bucket-list item (and they will make noise if they gain momentum). But I do not predict they will be taking over the stadium.
The Aggies’ offense is led by quarterback Marcel Reed. Through two games, the sophomore quarterback is 41-for-62 (66%) with 509 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. On the ground, Reed has 18 carries for 105 yards (5.8 yards per rush) and one rushing touchdown.
Although the competition has not been great, he has played phenomenally. The Aggie quarterback suffered an injury last week against Utah State, but from reports across the country, it looks like he will be ready for the matchup this weekend.
Mario Craver and KC Concepcion are the top two receivers for Texas A&M. On the season, Craver (5’9”) has 13 receptions for 236 yards and 3 touchdowns. Concepcion (5’11”) has 9 receptions for 145 yards and 3 scores.
Notre Dame Storylines
CJ Carr was one of the few bright spots against the Miami Hurricanes. In his first career start, Carr went 19-for-30 (63%) with 221 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, and 1 interception. The interception was not ideal, but after Mike Denbrock ran a screen play for the dozenth time, it was inevitable that a cornerback was going to jump the route.
I was interested to see how often Mike Denbrock would use Carr in the rushing attack. Although I believe that Carr needs to throw the ball downfield more, it is a great asset to have designed quarterback runs with the running back as an extra blocker (it took the Irish to the National Championship Game last year). Against the Hurricanes, Carr had 11 attempts for 16 yards and 1 rushing touchdown (numbers are skewed with 3 sacks factored in).
There will be two factors that must be changed on Saturday night. First, Jeremiyah Love needs to touch the ball more than a handful of times (whether running, screens, or receiving). Secondly, CJ Carr needs to pass the ball beyond the line of scrimmage. Did the Notre Dame coaching staff think the Irish were so talented that they were going to walk into Hard Rock Stadium and beat Miami with a bunch of screen passes?
Notre Dame was embarrassed in the trenches. For anyone who watches college football, it seems that the road team always plays with “Super Bowl–like” energy. That is not an excuse for Notre Dame performing the way they did, but it definitely has been a factor when the Irish visit Miami, whether during the Lou Holtz, Brian Kelly, or Marcus Freeman eras.
The only spot along the offensive and defensive lines that I am worried about is the interior defensive front. With the loss of Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills, Notre Dame did not dominate the trenches like they did most of 2024.
Now, the rest of the O-line and D-line return starters from last season (or original starters who suffered season-ending injuries). I believe the Miami game was an outlier and the trenches will be won by Notre Dame on Saturday.
Head-to-Head Matchups
Notre Dame Offense vs. Texas A&M Defense
The Fighting Irish offense accumulated 314 total yards in Week One against Miami, while the Aggies’ defense has allowed 312 yards per game. It is difficult to make predictions early in the season, especially in the ever-changing college football landscape and transfer portal. But I have this matchup as a tie on Saturday. Notre Dame showed too many weaknesses against Miami, and Mike Elko is one of the best defensive minds in the sport.
Advantage: Tie
Texas A&M Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense
The Texas A&M offense has averaged 477 yards per game in its first two matchups, while the Notre Dame defense allowed 324 against Carson Beck and Miami. Quarterback Marcel Reed has looked great early in the year and will present a major challenge for Chris Ash’s defense. I hate to select every matchup as a tie, but the Notre Dame defense typically plays at another level in South Bend. However, I do not have the confidence in Chris Ash that I did in Al Golden. This dual-threat quarterback could expose Notre Dame.
Advantage: Tie
Special Teams
Texas A&M’s Jared Zirkel is 1-for-1 in 2025 (37 yards). Conversely, Notre Dame’s Noah Burnette is 1-for-1 this year (39 yards). There is no distinct advantage on special teams.
Advantage: Tie
My Prediction
It is early September, and Notre Dame Football is already in a “must-win” situation. Certainly, a 10-2 Fighting Irish team would have a great chance to make the playoffs. But two losses would eliminate the Irish from a “bye” or hosting a “home” playoff matchup.
Immediately following the Notre Dame-Miami game, I was ready to pick the Aggies. I could foresee a “Maroon Wave” of Texas A&M fans coming to South Bend and this season going off the rails. But as the frustrations subsided, I thought about how many things were fixable against Miami.
And honestly, how many teams in the country would have beaten the Hurricanes in that environment? Probably the Ohio State Buckeyes, but anyone else would be a toss-up.
I have started to lean toward an Irish victory because the offensive and defensive lines will be embarrassed from Week One, Mike Denbrock is too smart to make the same mistakes, Jeremiyah Love will not be limited again, and Marcus Freeman has the boys on another level at Notre Dame Stadium.
I have the Fighting Irish winning by three points.
Prediction: Notre Dame 27, Texas A&M 24
