The wait is nearly over for Texas A&M fans, as, in just over 24 hours, the Aggies will kick off the most important game yet this year up in South Bend.
This could be the biggest flashpoint on the schedule for the entire year for Texas A&M— one of three huge road games against current top-10 teams, the Ags need to attack this game with intensity and focus, as the Irish could be the easiest team of those three to pick off. In other words, this could end up being the difference between a 10-2 record and a 9-3 one.
Here are three reasons that Texas A&M will emerge as victors from South Bend this weekend.
Why Texas A&M wins vs Notre Dame: Marcel meets the moment
The Aggie quarterback has had a couple of uneven road performances on his ledger, but it's time for him to step up and show just how improved he has become. Reed has much better weapons around him than he did last season, but that means nothing if he can't deliver on time and on target.
The Irish will be playing some heavy man coverage, so timing will indeed be especially crucial in this one. Something else that will be crucial is Reed's legs: if the Irish aren't in zone, he could burn them with a planned draw or two. If he gets past the spy— a big ask— there could be yards aplenty for him.
Make no mistake, though: Reed's arm is the key here. He needs to keep the Aggies ahead of the chains and keep Notre Dame from loading the box against Le'Veon Moss and the rest of the Aggie backfield.
Why Texas A&M wins vs Notre Dame: Defense shows its stuff
We've seen some uneven performances out of the defense, as well, over the last couple of games. They've been a bit boom-or-bust: this is a unit that looks like they've stepped up when it matters, but their laxity otherwise doesn't portend great things.
Maybe it is just a strategy that they have in these warmup games, but if so, they'll need to be ready for this much-heightened level of intensity in South Bend. The pass rush needs to show up big time— Cashius Howell needs to go beast mode again, in other words— and they need to stifle an effective Notre Dame ground game.
If they can stymy the Irish on the ground and force CJ Carr to use his arm, A&M could be in a good spot. Their pass defense has been stellar so far this year, and they could make life tough on the new Irish quarterback.
Why Texas A&M wins vs Notre Dame: Aggies finally force a turnover
Through two games, part of the concern about the defense is the fact that they haven't yet notched a takeaway. They've forced a couple of fumbles, but those have been recovered by the offense both times.
Part of that is facing such veteran quarterbacks in their first two games, but they have a pretty green signal caller (if you will) that they'll be squaring off against in this one. I think Elko has a few tricks up his sleeve to bait Carr into making a mistake.
The Aggies were -2 in the turnover margin last year in a game that ended with them ten points down. They need to hang onto the ball themselves and make Marcus Freeman's team make some mistakes if they are to win this one.