Watch List: Who Aggie Fans Should Know – Notre Dame Edition
A fork in the road game for both programs
The Setup
Circle it, underline it, star it in red ink: Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M is the kind of September clash that tilts seasons and rewrites narratives.
For the Irish, it’s desperation time. That Week One stumble against Miami left scars, and another loss here would all but slam the playoff door shut before October. For the Aggies, it’s opportunity — a chance to stomp into South Bend and tell the country: this ain’t the old A&M, this team is for real.
UTSA was the appetizer. Utah State was the tune-up. This? This is the proving ground.
Notre Dame’s Key Playmakers
CJ Carr – Quarterback
Every Notre Dame story starts with the kid under center. Freshman phenom CJ Carr walked onto campus with the weight of gold helmets past on his shoulders. Against Miami, he flashed touch, poise, and the inevitable rookie mistakes. He’s talented, no question — but he’s green.
Matchup to Watch: Carr vs. Elko’s pressure packages. The Aggies just hung six sacks on Utah State. If Howell and Nolen get home early, Carr’s welcome-to-college moment turns into a survival drill.
Jeremiyah Love – Running Back
Love is the heartbeat of the Irish offense. He’s the chain-mover, the one who can take a swing pass 25 yards when nothing else is working. Against Miami, he churned tough yards, but he’ll need to be more than steady against A&M’s front.
Matchup to Watch: Love vs. Taurean York & Scooby Williams. A&M’s linebackers just feasted on Utah State’s run game after a shaky opener. If Love doesn’t get daylight, Notre Dame’s offense shrinks fast.
On a personal note, once the Irish advanced late last year and our season fell apart, I was a huge Love fan. The way he ran in those playoff games, especially against Penn State, man, its hard for any red-blooded-football Lovin American to not respect his game. When the Aggies to to tackle him, they better not bring any weak arm tackles to the party, or Love will rack up some back breaking runs.
Jaden Greathouse & Will Pauling – Wide Receivers
Greathouse has the frame, Pauling has the wiggle. Together, they give Carr options outside the numbers. Miami jammed them early and knocked the timing off. Expect ND to scheme quick hitters to settle Carr in.
Matchup to Watch: vs. Will Lee III & Dezz Ricks. SEC-sized corners. SEC-speed. If they lock the windows, Carr will be throwing into storm shutters.
Drayk Bowen – Linebacker
The Irish defense’s tone-setter. Bowen flies sideline-to-sideline, diagnoses quick, and doesn’t miss many tackles. Against Miami, he racked up double-digit stops, but chunk plays still slipped through.
Matchup to Watch: Bowen vs. Le’Veon Moss & Rueben Owens. If Bowen doesn’t plug the A-gap, A&M’s downhill run game could steamroll.
Donovan Hinish & Jaylen Sneed – Front Seven Enforcers
Notre Dame wins with trench grit. Hinish is a warhorse inside; Storman brings edge quickness. Together, they’ll test A&M’s protection schemes.
Matchup to Watch: vs. the Aggie O-line. Reed’s confidence depends on clean pockets.
Texas A&M – The Counterpunch
Let’s not overthink this: Texas A&M has shown us the playbook already.
UTSA: Marcel Reed uncorked fireworks. Concepcion took a punt to the house. Craver flashed afterburners.
Utah State: The run game arrived, the defense mauled, six sacks piled up.
This is what balance looks like. Reed, Concepcion, Craver, Moss, Owens, Howell, York — it’s a roster built to bully and sprint at the same time.
Chalkboard – Notre Dame’s Keys to Survival
Shorten the Game – Lean on Love. Grind the clock. Keep Reed watching from the sideline.
Protect Carr’s Confidence – Rollouts, quick throws, easy reads. Don’t hang the rookie out to dry against Elko’s blitzes.
Force A&M Mistakes – Miami stayed alive by stealing possessions. The Irish need a +2 turnover margin.
Contain Concepcion – Kick away, punt high, pray. One return TD and South Bend turns silent.
Win Red Zone Defense – Bend all you want, but threes instead of sevens are the only way this stays tight.
Chalkboard – Texas A&M’s Keys to Making a Statement
Punch First – Same script as UTSA. Score early, break their rhythm, make Carr play from behind.
Feed the Stable – Moss & Owens downhill until the linebackers tap out.
Harass the Rookie – Make CJ Carr’s second big-time start feel like a hurricane in his lap.
Unleash KC – He’s the most electric return man in America right now. Let him tilt the field.
Stay Clean – No sloppy turnovers, no late flags. This is about execution, not drama.
Final Word
This isn’t just a football game. It’s a referendum.
For Notre Dame: stumble again, and playoff dreams go up in smoke. The rest of their schedule is too weak to overcome two early losses in my opinion.
For Texas A&M: walk into South Bend, stomp the Irish, and the whole nation has to admit — the Aggies are a problem.
Prediction? This is set up for a Rocky II street fight that looks and feels a lot like week 1 last year. But just like last year, the road team lands one more punch and leaves town with the dub!
Aggies 24 – Irish 20.