Notre Dame’s Defense Fails Again as Freeman Points to Execution Issues

For the second straight week, Notre Dame’s defense was the story of a crushing loss. The Irish gave up 488 yards of total offense in a 41–40 defeat to No. 16 Texas A&M inside Notre Dame Stadium. Despite CJ Carr’s strong performance in his second career start, Marcus Freeman’s team sits at 0–2 because the defense simply hasn’t been close to the standard that carried the Irish a year ago.

“Yeah, it’s not good though,” Freeman admitted postgame. “Not good enough in the run and pass, not good enough getting pressure on the quarterback. We had some unexpected injuries, but it doesn’t matter. If you’re on the field, then we got to put you in a position to make plays. And we didn’t play well enough.”

The numbers tell the story. Texas A&M averaged 7.1 yards per play, racking up 360 passing yards and another 128 on the ground. Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed completed only 17 of 37 passes, but those completions went for 21.2 yards a pop — chunk plays that repeatedly flipped field position and demoralized the Irish secondary.

Big Plays, No Answers

The Irish struck first on special teams with a Tae Johnson blocked punt return touchdown, but it didn’t take long for the defense to get torched. Less than four minutes later, Reed hit Mario Craver for an 86-yard touchdown, one of seven catches for the Aggie wideout, who finished with 207 yards. Craver accounted for more than Notre Dame’s entire wide receiver corps combined.

Freeman didn’t sugarcoat it: “I know there’s some big plays. Like that’s the number one reason — the explosive plays. Why were there explosive plays? I’m sure it’s about pressure. I’m sure it’s about coverage. There’s probably a lot of reasons. I’ll let you know when I see you guys on Monday. But it wasn’t good enough. Wasn’t to standard.”

The lack of pass rush was glaring. Notre Dame failed to record a single sack and managed just four quarterback hurries all night. In contrast, Texas A&M’s defense registered two sacks and eight tackles for loss. Even when Freeman dialed up pressure, it backfired. “We get beat with an explosive play because we bring six and we’re playing zone behind it,” he said. “Quarterback extends a pla. You got to be very strategic in terms of rush and coverage work together. We have to get better at both rush and coverage.”

Collapsing in Key Moments

While the Irish offense did its part for the most part — scoring 40 points and holding the ball for more than 33 minutes — the defense couldn’t deliver stops when it mattered. With under three minutes to play, Notre Dame clung to a 40–34 lead after a botched hold from Tyler Buchner left the window open for the Aggies. Texas A&M calmly marched 74 yards in 13 plays, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass with just 13 seconds left. Replay clearly showed that Donovan Hinish was held in one of the more blatant missed calls you’ll ever see, but it should never have come down to that.

That drive wasn’t an outlier. The Aggies scored touchdowns on three straight possessions in the second quarter, erasing a 24–14 Irish lead. Notre Dame’s defense gave up scoring drives of 75, 75, and 47 yards in that span, all before halftime. By the break, A&M had already piled up 328 yards of offense and 28 points.

The Aggies finished 4-of-11 on third downs, but they consistently got chunk yardage early in series. Reed hit KC Concepcion for a 45-yard strike to set up one touchdown. He later found Craver for 31 yards, then Rueben Owens II for 24 on another scoring drive. The Aggies didn’t have to grind out yards; they got them in chunks.

Targeting, Injuries, and Excuses?

Freeman pointed to a targeting call on safety Adon Shuler that led to a fourth-quarter field goal, but he refused to make it an excuse. “That’s not the reason we lost. It’s frustrating because that led to a field goal that drive, but it doesn’t matter. Adon’s out, next guy in, execute. That’s got to be the mentality.”

Similarly, he acknowledged injuries but dismissed them as a crutch. “We had some unexpected injuries, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who’s on the field. If you’re on the field, then we’ve got to put you in a position to make plays.”

The stats reinforce that point. A&M’s three tailbacks combined for only 128 rushing yards, but each of Le’Veon Moss’s three touchdowns came at the goal line, where Notre Dame’s defensive front couldn’t hold the line. Reed wasn’t efficient — completing under 50 percent of his passes — but he repeatedly exploited breakdowns in coverage to keep the Aggies in striking distance.

Searching for Answers

Asked if he would consider a change in defensive play-calling, Freeman was blunt: “No. No, it’s not the call, it’s the execution. I’ve always believed that. Sometimes calling things can be overrated as much as it’s the execution of that play call. At the end of the day, why aren’t we able to execute in a way that we believe we need to and should? That’s the question that we’ve got to get answered.”

The Irish defenders combined for just two tackles for loss and no sacks. Drayk Bowen and Tae Johnson tied for team-highs with six tackles apiece, but the front seven generated little disruption. Meanwhile, A&M hit eight plays of 20 yards or more, including four receptions of at least 31 yards.

The loss leaves Notre Dame at 0–2 for the second time in Freeman’s four years as the head coach, and Freeman admitted the only path forward is work. “We’re 0 and 2. So what do you control? You control getting better and getting ready for the next one. I can’t sit here and dwell on being 0 and 2 as much as I need to dwell on how do we find the ways to improve.”

The Bottom Line

Freeman is right about one thing: the Irish didn’t lose because of one play. They lost because of a defense that broke down at every level — in coverage, at the line of scrimmage, and in the pass rush. Forty points should win a game at Notre Dame Stadium ten of ten times. Instead, it wasn’t enough, and unless the defense finds answers quickly, this season could spiral before it ever gets started.