The #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be featured on NBC Saturday night when they host the #16 Texas A&M Aggies inside of Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM ET.
Many Corvette owners are notorious for keeping their shiny new ride in the garage and away from rain and mileage. They fear water and highway miles could depreciate the value of their prized possession. That seems to be the way Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock handled his new hot rod, CJ Carr, early on against the Miami Hurricanes.
During the first half of the game, Carr passed for just 57 yards and one score with many of his throws considered “safe passes” to the sideline via the run-pass option. Like a Corvette owner, coach Denbrock appeared to be hesitant when it came to spinning his quarterback’s proverbial tires. In hindsight, the reluctance to allow Carr to air it out in the first half played a large role in Notre Dame’s 27–24 loss to Miami because the second half was a different story.
With the Irish being down 21–7 in the 3rd quarter, Denbrock had no choice but to let Carr loose on the open highway and the redshirt freshman did not disappoint. He showcased poise under pressure along with his arm strength as he completed passes all over the field (164 yards), leading Notre Dame on a 17–3 run before tying the game at 24 with just over three minutes to go. However, Notre Dame’s defense could not get a stop, which allowed the Hurricanes to kick the game-winning field goal.
Key Injuries
Notre Dame
RB Kedren Young (knee), TE Cooper Flanagan (Achilles), OL Charles Jagusah (arm) are out. TE Kevin Bauman (retired).
Texas A&M
WR Jerome Myles (lower-body injury) and OL Isendre Ahfua (leg) are out for the season. OL Reuben Fatheree is questionable.
Betting Trends
- Notre Dame is 11–2 ATS in its last 13 games.
- The total has gone over in five of Notre Dame’s last seven games.
- Texas A&M is 0–7 ATS in its last seven games.
- Notre Dame is 4–2 all-time against Texas A&M.
Line (Point Spread) and Total (Over/Under)
#16 Texas A&M (2–0) (0–2 ATS) at #8 Notre Dame (0–1) (0–1 ATS)
It has been almost two weeks since the Irish suffered their week one loss to the Hurricanes, and according to Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, the loss has been tough to swallow. “When you invest a lot into achieving a certain outcome, the work they (the team) put in, and you don’t get the outcome you desire, it hurts,” Freeman admitted. “There are sleepless nights. There’s loss of appetite, but we had to turn that frustration into work and we did. I was really pleased with the work that was put in by our players and our coaching staff this past week in terms of how to elevate.”
Perhaps it wasn’t the result that made the loss so difficult to accept, but instead it was the way in which Notre Dame lost the game down in Miami. Early on it seemed as if the offense was afraid of getting dirty. Irish running back Jeremiah Love had just four carries and one reception in the first half. Love’s lack of carries certainly wasn’t from Notre Dame chunking the ball downfield. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Quarterback CJ Carr’s passes barely went beyond the line of scrimmage.
On the flip side of the ball, Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator Chris Ash had his defense play zone coverage for most of the game in lieu of man coverage like the Irish did under former defensive coordinator Al Golden last season. It was almost as if he didn’t trust his personnel, or maybe he was set on calling his defensive scheme instead of adjusting to his players’ strengths. That is something coach Freeman said cannot be the case if Notre Dame wants to find success on either side of the ball in the games to come.
“I think you have a philosophy as a coordinator about this is the way we want to play on offense, defense, or special teams, but at the end of the day the best coaches put their players in positions to play well and to play fast,” Freeman stated. “Sometimes it takes going against another opponent to say, okay, what does this guy do well? How does it fit for the vision we have for our scheme?
“I learned that personally when we did some things for the Florida State game my first year (at Notre Dame),” Freeman continued. “I said, we have a little bit different personnel here than we did where I was at previously (Cincinnati). How can I adjust my scheme, our scheme to fit the talent and the personnel that we have here? That was an ongoing process through the season.”
Unfortunately for Notre Dame, they do not have an entire season to figure it out. Instead, they were given two weeks to adjust before Texas A&M rolls into town. And, after their first two games of the season, the Aggies will arrive in South Bend with a 2–0 record averaging 43 points per game. The offense will be led by Texas A&M’s dynamic quarterback Marcel Reed. The rising sophomore is not only the Aggies’ quarterback, but he is also the team’s leading rusher with 105 yards on 18 carries including one touchdown. When he wasn’t busy carrying the rock, he was looking to find the pair of receivers his team acquired via the transfer portal in KC Concepcion (NC State) and Mario Craver (Mississippi State). In two games the duo has already combined for 22 receptions, 481 yards, and six touchdowns.
Defensively, the Aggies haven’t shown very much, and that could be by head coach Mike Elko’s design. He might’ve saved some of his more exotic defensive schemes against UTSA and Utah State for Notre Dame. In week one against UTSA, Texas A&M tallied just one sack and surrendered 203 rushing yards. UTSA running back Robert Henry Jr. accounted for 177 yards and two touchdowns on his own. The Aggies bounced back during week two, however, holding Utah State to just 250 total yards of offense, including six quarterback sacks.
Although the Aggies reign from the highly regarded Southeastern Conference, are undefeated, and will be facing a team that has lost its only game of the season, Texas A&M still finds itself as a 6.5-point underdog to Notre Dame. The total is set at 49.5 points. This line demonstrates the book begging bettors to take Texas A&M and the points. In most cases, the smart move would be to take the uncomfortable pick in Notre Dame. However, the Irish appear to have more questions schematically on defense and along the offensive line heading into game two than they did in game one, and that’s never a good thing. The Irish must prove it first. Pick: Texas A&M +6.5
Behind Enemy Lines Week 3
#18 South Florida (2–0) (2–0 ATS) at #5 Miami (2–0) (1–0 ATS)
USF is 5–1 ATS in its last six games. The Bulls are 1–5 SU in their last six games against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent. The total has gone under in five of Miami’s last seven games versus USF. The line opened at Miami -18.5 but has since fallen to -17.5. The total is standing high at 56.5. Always buy the .5 point. Pick: Under 57
USC (2–0) (1–0 ATS) at Purdue (2–0) (1–1 ATS)
The total has gone over in four of USC’s last five games. The Trojans are 5–12 ATS in their last 17 games versus the Big Ten Conference. Purdue is 1–6 ATS in its last seven home games. USC is currently -21 across the board with a total of 59. Pick: USC -21
Arkansas (2–0) (1–1 ATS) at #17 Ole Miss (2–0) (1–1 ATS)
Arkansas is 5–1 in its last six games at Ole Miss. The total has gone under in 10 of Ole Miss’s last 14 games. The early line on this game had Ole Miss -12.5. The Razorbacks’ recent success through two games now has Ole Miss -7. The total dropped from 63 to 61.5. Always buy the .5 point. Pick: Under 62
Boise State (1–1) (1–1 ATS) – Bye Week
The Broncos earned their first win of the season by defeating Eastern Washington last week, 51–14. Boise State racked up a whopping 639 yards of total offense. Next week: Air Force
NC State (2–0) (1–1 ATS) at Wake Forest (2–0) (1–1 ATS)
NC State is 2–11 in its last 13 road games at Wake Forest. The total has gone over in five of NC State’s last six conference games. Wake Forest is 1–6 in its last seven home games. NC State opened early at -6.5, but now some books are showing -8. The total is trending downwards at 51.5. Pick: NC State -8
Boston College (1–1) (2–0 ATS) at Stanford (0–2) (0–2 ATS)
Boston College is 7–1 ATS in its last eight games. The total has gone over in eight of the Eagles’ last nine games. Stanford is 2–8–1 ATS in its last 11 games. Boston College is -12.5 across the board. The total is resting at 44.5. Always buy the .5 point. Pick: Boston College -12
Navy (2–0) (1–0 ATS) at Tulsa (1–1) (1–1 ATS)
The total has gone over in 10 of Navy’s last 15 games. The Midshipmen are 5–1 ATS in their last six games versus Tulsa. The total has gone over in five of Tulsa’s last seven games. Navy is favored by 14.5 with a total of 53.5. Always buy the .5 point. Pick: Navy -14
Pittsburgh (2–0) (1–0 ATS) at West Virginia (1–1) (1–1 ATS)
Pitt is 2–4 ATS in its last six games versus West Virginia and 2–4 SU. The total has gone over in six of WVU’s last nine games. This line has risen drastically as Pittsburgh opened -2.5 and is now at -7. The total is sitting at 58.5. Pick: Pittsburgh -7
Colgate (0–2) (0–0 ATS) at Syracuse (1–1) (1–1 ATS)
Syracuse outscored UConn 21–3 in the second half to win 27–20. Former Notre Dame quarterback Steve Angeli completed 33 of 53 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Betting line: N/A. Next week: at Clemson
Notre Dame 2025 opponents are listed in bold.
