While it's certainly not in the plans for Texas A&M to lose this game to Notre Dame on Saturday, this is the first game of the year that is far from a guaranteed win. The Fighting Irish have been one of the more consistently talented teams under Marcus Freeman over the last few years — with a combined record of 33-11, 14 wins over ranked opponents and an appearance in the national championship game last season.
So if we were somehow to paint the picture for how this Aggies team would not find themselves victorious this weekend, what would that look like? Let's dive in.
The passing game falters against higher competition
The first thing we should all look to is whether or not the passing game was able to stay at the level it's been this season against a really talented Notre Dame defense. There should be all the faith in the world that Marcel Reed, Collin Klein and the new additions at wideout will make a massive difference this season — but that doesn't mean we don't need to see it against someone other than Utah State or UTSA to fully buy in.
If play calling lets us down, or Reed looks frantic in a tough road environment and unable to consistently hit his receivers in stride, or KC Concepcion and Mario Craver are failing to separate in man coverage, then this offense will not be able to play complementary football on Saturday. And if that's the case, we could easily see the Aggies be handed their first loss of the season.
Texas A&M's tackling issues arise yet again
One of the worst things that can happen for the Aggies this Saturday is to struggle bringing Notre Dame's best players to the ground. Jeremiyah Love is one of the toughest runners to bring down, their wide receiver room is vastly improved from last season and CJ Carr has shown us early in his collegiate career that he's more than capable of tucking it and running on key downs.
Texas A&M's defense was really hurt down the stretch of the 2024 campaign by poor communication and missed tackles. While the group did a nice job at patching things up last week against Utah State, those issues were still evident in its Week 1 win over UTSA.
Sloppy play against inferior opponents can still result in wins, but it's a dangerous game to try and play when facing one of the better teams in the sport. If the Aggies' struggles continue and the Notre Dame offense is moving up and down the field, it could be a long night in South Bend.
Mike Elko was out-coached by Marcus Freeman
I want it on record that I am a massive Mike Elko guy: I thought he was incredible as the team's defensive coordinator, loved the quick turnaround he created at Duke, and presently believe he's the right man to lead this era of Texas A&M football. That being said, there are few coaches I think are better than Marcus Freeman in this sport, and I believe he's one of the best at getting his team up for big moments.
Should this game come down to the wire and the Aggies lose on one or two plays — whether it be a dumb penalty, mismanagement of the play clock or timeouts, or even some miscommunication issues on the defense — then you'd have to look at the head coach as a reason why they came up short.
Remember what was discussed earlier: Marcus Freeman has 14 wins over top-25 teams in his young career. Mike Elko is just 1-3 in those spots since taking over at A&M and, if the fourth loss is handed out this Saturday, then it's more than fair to look at the head coach and question why they can't get over the hump against their tougher opponents.