44-22 marked the final score when Utah State came to Kyle Field in Week Two. Now, Texas A&M faces a massive jump in competition as well as the first road test of 2025. The Aggies head to South Bend, Indiana, to take on Notre Dame in a rematch from the first week of last season. What does Texas A&M need to do in the trenches to win this one?
Let’s dive in.
Offensive Line
Notre Dame possesses an extremely talented defense.
However, I truly believe the strength of this defense lies with their secondary, including corners Christian Gray and Leonard Moore.
What does this mean for Texas A&M?
Unlike the first two contests of the season, where we saw the Aggies attack through the air, I’m expecting a stronger dose of the rushing attack with this talented stable of backs. This means the offensive line is going to be counted on to generate push up front.
The task isn’t easy against an experienced Notre Dame defensive line, but there were times against Miami when the Irish got pushed off the ball by the Canes. I think Texas A&M can replicate that.
If the Aggies find success in the running game early, then they can open up the passing game, but it all comes down to generating push with the offensive line to start.
Defensive Line
Going into this season, I expected CJ Carr to be a weakness for the Irish while they leaned on the dynamic rushing duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
After their week one loss to Miami, I came away a bit more impressed with Carr, while having questions about Notre Dame’s game plan going into this one. Admittedly, Miami did lead for most of this contest, which likely shaped some of what Notre Dame did on offense.
Still, it was surprising to see Notre Dame held under 100 yards rushing and to just 3.3 yards per carry. While I’d love to see Texas A&M similarly limit the Irish offense, I don’t expect the Aggies to have as much success against the run. Where I think Texas A&M can impact the game in a major way is by getting pressure on CJ Carr in the passing game.
While I came away impressed with Carr’s first start relative to expectations, this is still a young quarterback. The Miami defensive line had a lot of success creating pressure, and I’d like to see Cashius Howell and company do the same. Make Carr make mistakes and limit the damage done by Love and Price. Hold Notre Dame to field goals when they get into the red zone.
That’s the assignment for the Texas A&M defensive line this Saturday in South Bend.
