Texas A&M football will square off with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in just over a week, as the Aggies are set to travel up to South Bend on September 13 for an early-season showdown.
A&M has a game yet to play before then against the Utah State Aggies this Saturday, but this matchup with the Irish is the one that has all the eyes of the maroon and white faithful early on in the year. That in mind, there were plenty of Aggie fans that were keyed in on the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Miami Hurricanes this past Sunday.
The Irish came away from that contest with a loss, while the Hurricanes notched maybe the biggest win of the Mario Cristobal era. The win came due to some key passes from Hurricanes QB Carson Beck, but on the defensive side, Aggie fans saw something that could be a great sign for one of the best defenders on this A&M team.
Notre Dame's pass protection struggles against Miami could mean huge things for Texas A&M's Cashius Howell
Miami DE Rueben Bain was an absolute terror whenever Notre Dame QB CJ Carr dropped back to pass down in South Florida last Sunday, leading to this eye-popping statistic:
Notre Dame offensive line starters Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grades at Miami…
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) September 1, 2025
Anthonie Knapp: 10.5
Billy Schrauth: 66.5
Ashton Craig: 83.2
Guerby Lambert: 19.2
Aamil Wagner: 56.1
Outside of Craig, not good enough. Not nearly good enough. https://t.co/smJzesTNOG pic.twitter.com/0QmV8uwiwM
Anthonie Knapp, in for the again-injured Charles Jagusah, struggled in a huge way against the size, power, and speed of Bain— something that Howell boasts as well.
It's also notable that guard Guerby Lambert had a rough day as well. Texas A&M DL Tyler Onyedim has his own set of pass-rushing skills that he can deploy, and if the Aggies can generate pressure from the interior as well as the edge, CJ Carr could be in for another rough day.
This could be the beginning of a breakout for Howell— the kind where he announces himself nationally. He was generating pressure on nearly every true drop back against UTSA, even though the Roadrunners were mostly throwing screens.
There's another game to be played for A&M before they can really turn their attention to the Irish, but Howell has to be licking his chops after seeing what Miami was able to do. Hopefully, he can capitalize in the same way.