Breaking down positional matchups for Texas A&M football vs. Notre Dame: Are the Aggies vulnerable on defense?
There's been a lot of talk about how much of a defensive battle this game between Texas A&M football and Notre Dame is going to be, and for good reason. Both squads are bringing in experienced and talented defenses, as well as breaking in new offensive systems. The Irish, for their part, have brought in an entirely new quarterback and a remade offensive line, as well.
But will this really be a game defined by dominant defense? Or will there be more opportunity for the offenses to operate?
For a quick refresher, the way I do these positional matchups is by deciding whether there's an advantage on either side, and then rating how big of an advantage it is from one to five—with one being a slight advantage to the team in question, and five being a completely unfair mismatch. If there's no advantage on either side, I rate it a push.
Without further ado, let's take a look at how these units match up with one another, starting with the Irish's offense.
Notre Dame passing offense vs. Texas A&M football passing defense
I understand that this is a remade defensive backfield for Texas A&M football, but I actually see that as a strength here. The Aggie secondary was not exactly a positive for most of 2023, but they kept their best corner—Tyreek Chappell—while reloading with a lot of talent from the portal.
However, the Notre Dame receivers, while there is certainly some talent there, are maybe in a worse position than the Aggie receivers—who may be the biggest question mark on the A&M team. Jaden Greathouse is a big-bodied target, but they're missing a true playmaker out wide.
The area to watch is the Notre Dame TEs. While not explosive, I'd lean towards this position group performing just as well, if not better, than the Irish WRs.
For that reason, as well as the aforementioned quarterback inexperience, I've got this one as an advantage for the Ags.
Advantage score: Aggies by 3