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Texas A&M football preseason previews: Why A&M upsets ND in week one showdown

There’s a lot riding on week one for both Texas A&M football and Notre Dame. Here’s why the Aggies can send the Irish packing.

By Graham Harmon

Notre Dame wide receiver Micah Gilbert (14) Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the annual Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring football game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.
Notre Dame wide receiver Micah Gilbert (14) Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the annual Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring football game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. / MANDATORY CREDIT GREG SWIERCZ / USA
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Three stats to watch for ND

Passing success rate

The Irish were one of the best in the country at rendering opposing passing games inefficient last year. Only three teams even broke the 40% mark in this stat when playing the Irish last year, which is remarkably low—the number was only two for Georgia. By contrast, more than half of the teams Texas A&M football faced exceeded 40% passing success. If the Irish can keep the Aggies inefficient in the passing game, that’s a great recipe to win on the road.

Red zone conversion rate

When you get your chances, how often can you score? I wrote earlier about how good the Aggies were last year at stymying drives that got within the 40 yard line, but when teams made it into the red zone, the Aggies weren’t the best at keeping them from scoring. Teams averaged 4.17 points per red zone trip against the Ags last year, and the Irish averaged just over 5 points per red zone trip on offense.

Offensive explosiveness

The Irish haven’t been known for being a dynamic offense, but they have been effective. They hope they can remain effective but up those explosive numbers under Mike Denbrock. The Ags, as we have mentioned, were extremely susceptible to the big play through the air last year—if Leonard can find Greathouse and others downfield, the Irish will be in a good spot.

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