To say we should win a road game at Notre Dame is ridiculous because we have lost 6 consecutive road games to nonconference Power 4/5 teams since a 14-12 win at Pittsburgh in 2002.

2003: 35-18 loss @ #18 Virginia Tech
2005: 25-24 loss @ Clemson
2007: 34-17 loss @ Miami
2017: 45-44 loss @ UCLA after blowing a 44-10 lead with 4:08 left in the 3rd quarter.
2019: 24-10 loss @ #1 Clemson
2023: 48-33 loss @ Miami

Our 2021 win over Colorado was at Mile High Stadium, which counts as a neutral-site game. Therefore, it's not a true road win at Folsom Field. However, it's our first regular season win over a nonconference Power 4/5 team outside of the state of Texas since 2002, unlike our 2015 win over Arizona State at NRG Stadium.

I hope we can beat Notre Dame to snap that 6-game road losing streak to nonconference Power 4/5 teams, but I won't be surprised if we lose that road game. If that happens, our road losing streak to nonconference Power 4/5 team would extend to 7 games, and this drought would last at least 25 years until 2027, when we play at Arizona State.

Leonard was a great college QB who was more than often able to do *enough* to put his team in position to win. He wasn't putting up video game numbers, but he was rarely rattled and was the sort of guy to feel pressure, escape the pocket and hit the TE for 8 yards on a 3rd and 7, or be able to lower the shoulder and get an extra yard against a CB. Tough, smart kid and it's why he got drafted to the NFL.

Now, ND isn't ever gonna hurt for access to talent and Freeman is a quality coach, but they're gonna be starting a player in either Carr or Minchey who is far greener. They've got an all-American quality rushing attack, but can we force their new signal caller to feel that clock ticking faster than he's prepared for? And can our offense put pressure on them to try and keep pace?

Carr has yet to attempt a pass in college. Minchey has been there two years and thrown 3. It doesn't get much less experienced than these two. Rule of thumb is it takes at least 3 starts before a new starter can start settling in. We should have a huge advantage.

ND running game will be as good or better than last year (OL more experienced and not starting 2 fish Tackles, one of the best RBs in the game today). They will try to control the clock and wear out our DL, who is the biggest question mark this season (depth, size, real game experience, etc. even for the txfrs who were not starters). The ND RB room depth is one of the top in the nation (period).

ND gets a good test w UM to start the season which helps them tremendously.

They get 2 wks to prep for A&M (they have a bye week prior) to work out remaining kinks (if any) and it's a home game for them.

While I'm happy we get this game as game 3 (hated it was our first game last yr under new coach/staff as so the unknowns were huge), ND gets time too and will see what they have in QBs.

If we don't set edge and fit the runs (like last year's game), we'll get outscored again. Expect lots of run support from Safeties as will be needed.

A true test of Elko/staff to show the team is prepared for a physical game at an away venue. Last year was a fail on this front on so many examples:

• ND (couldn't stop run when it mattered...several times and beyond frustrating to watch)
• USCe (team didn't handle atmosphere and looked unprepared (deer in headlights and too enamored with their LED display) and was physically dominated by them (fugly)
• tu (run game physicality and made a subpar tu RB look like a superstar; our inability to score an offensive TD nor ability to punch it in from the goaline...abysmal)
• Auburn (team didn't handle the atmosphere vs. a very bad team...got down by too much early, etc.).

That's pretty much twisting everything one can to benefit ND. Without noting all the areas A&M will improve in the second year of a new coaching regime. The biggest having a QB ready to play.

This thread specifically is about them losing Riley though. A QB that made Duke a winner. A QB that took his team all the way to the NC game last year.

Their QB play will be a drop off as far as doing things to help his team win. Riley protected the ball. Weigman did not. If Reed protects the ball and their new guy does not, that's a gigantic net swing in our favor from last year.

Yes, of course ND is going to try and shorten the game but that might play just in our favor since we are on the road. Strong running QBs gave us fits last year. We did better against pocket passers.

Anyway, no one's going to convince ND will be better at QB this year that early in the season when we play them with a new guy under center.

You mention the Auburn game but not the Gator road game. It was clear the team was not ready to play against Auburn bc they were overlooking them bc of the Texas game the following week. Do I like that. Of course not but it was obvious. ND will have our teams complete focus.

I disagree strongly with this assessment. We lost 4/4 of the last games against P4 opponents w/o Weigman.

"we would've beat ND with Reed" when the facts say otherwise. We lost to a 5 win Auburn team and 6 win USC team.

TexasAggie_97 said:

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SouthCollegeStation said:

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Aggies WIN:

Texas A&M - 27
Notre Dame - 24

We will run a very vanilla offense with base plays until the Notre Dame game

" Therefore, don't judge anything that we do on Offense until the Notre Dame game"

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That would be stupid. We need to practice the plays it will take to win against lesser opponents to see what we need to work on. It's not like we will show ND something they have never seen so let's make sure our best plays work to perfection and see if they can stop it.

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I guess some staffs might do this but I agree. I would rather see us show off against the supposed easier opponents and build confidence in what we're doing on both sides of the ball. Just going out and running base concepts doesn't tell anyone anything including the coaches.

Conner's play lost us the game vs. ND last year.

No question about it.

Not twisting anything IMO

If we can't stop the run via run fits, setting the edge and DT holding up the interior, think we lose that game.

Healthy Scooby helps York, but York has to be better than last year (he was inconsistent at times...great plays at some timely junctures, but several oh my at the worst possible time which was partially due to DL not doing their job as allowed opposing OL to get to 2nd level easily and swallow him up).

DTs are the weakest spot going into the season (true unknowns). Great names on paper, but more than one leaking opinion that they haven't been consistent in camp/scrimmage.

DJ Hicks has to step up (hoping he's a star and has the tools to be), Regis is solid, but true depth (experienced) as they need rotations more than probably any other position. Have heard 2 deep not yet solidified, but need that position at solid 3 deep rotation to win games in 4th Qtr (hence some combo of the fish has to get there...Simms, Sanders and/or Rink have to grow up fast as will need them by ND game .... fortunately, 1st 2 games should afford some playing opptyfor them (I hope), but unfortunately may not be caliber of opponent).

We'll see and hoping to whallop ND as cannot stand their fanbase, but will not know until game is played.

Slanting, twisting whatever. It's the same and you are talking about areas not focused on this thread while totally ignoring the primary topic of conversation for this thread,

FYI, that primary topic is their QB position. That's it. Not our DTs, LOL

It's pretty impressive on your additional reply, you still made no attempt to talk about the actual topic of this thread.

FYI

Both of those games you mention were lost bc our defense was bad. They lost us both of those games. Elko stated as such after both of them.

It would have been better to state Texas bc that's where our offense lost the game.

It would have been very bad and not close at the end if Weigman was the QB.

Sometimes I wonder if Ags even try to think what actually happened or just focus on agendas.

I have no agenda. I'm stating very clearly that we did not perform well in multiple facets of the game last year and putting Reed in for the ND game wouldn't have changed anything.

This year can be different. But playing the card "we would've beat ND if we had Reed" is ignorant it's not that simple. We won by 6 points against Bowling Green and by 4 to Arkansas with Reed at the helm. He can be better this year, but it's not that simple to say he would've carried us across the finish line last year. And if it is that simple, then why didn't he do that?

NickF said:

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I have no agenda. I'm stating very clearly that we did not perform well in multiple facets of the game last year and putting Reed in for the ND game wouldn't have changed anything.

This year can be different. But playing the card "we would've beat ND if we had Reed" is ignorant it's not that simple. We won by 6 points against Bowling Green and by 4 to Arkansas with Reed at the helm. He can be better this year, but it's not that simple to say he would've carried us across the finish line last year. And if it is that simple, then why didn't he do that?

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So you watched the game against ND? Go look at the statistics Weigman put into that game. If Reed plays in that game and performs better than Weigman, our chances of winning increase. Thats not even debatable. Weigman was historically terrible.

Go look for yourself

Aggie Dad 26 said:

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NickF said:

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I have no agenda. I'm stating very clearly that we did not perform well in multiple facets of the game last year and putting Reed in for the ND game wouldn't have changed anything.

This year can be different. But playing the card "we would've beat ND if we had Reed" is ignorant it's not that simple. We won by 6 points against Bowling Green and by 4 to Arkansas with Reed at the helm. He can be better this year, but it's not that simple to say he would've carried us across the finish line last year. And if it is that simple, then why didn't he do that?

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So you watched the game against ND? Go look at the statistics Weigman put into that game. If Reed plays in that game and performs better than Weigman, our chances of winning increase. Thats not even debatable. Weigman was historically terrible.

Go look for yourself

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Texas is the closest comp to Notre Dame as far as team talent.

Weigman was awful against N.D.:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401628332

12/30, 100 yards passing, 36.5 QBR and two picks.
He also had 7 rushes for 26 yards.

Against Texas Reed was better, but not by a lot:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401628445

16/23, 146 yards passing, 58.7 QBR and one pick.
He also had 14 rushes for 60 yards, and two fumbles (one lost).

There's no guarantee that Reed would have performed better than Weigman, but you're right if he did then that would have given you a better chance of winning.

It was the first week of the season. ND has less film on Reed than both LSU and Florida did. t.u had the layout to beat Reed but until we played South Carolina, no one had figured it out.

Your argument is invalid

Wait, so ND is going to play without a QB?!?!?!?!? Yes, I would think we should win the game then.

If they do intend to play with a QB, then it's 50/50 like all our big games.

South Carolina and Texas had two of the top defenses in the country. Also losing Moss during the USC game was very big. We need Moss when playing top defenses. ASU running back similar to Moss ran all over Texas.

Aggie Dad 26 said:

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It was the first week of the season. ND has less film on Reed than both LSU and Florida did. t.u had the layout to beat Reed but until we played South Carolina, no one had figured it out.

Your argument is invalid

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I see. It wasn't that Texas and N. Dame had similar defensive talent, it was just that until S Carolina played A&M no one had ever realized that you make a dual threat QB beat you with his arm (especially if you have secondary talent like the Irish and Horns did), and to stay in your lanes to contain the QB while rushing.

That's why my argument about comparable talent was invalid. This whole thing was novel.

if you can stop the run, you can beat Notre Dame this year.

I think every Aggie should be rooting for Miami to beat the @#$@# out of Notre Dame in week one.

then you go into South Bend and give them loss number two.

All that matters is we win. And beating a ND team that beat a high level ACC team in the road would look better. Also teams that win sometime are not as focused in practice as a team that loses.

ND announced CJ Carr as QB which was unexpected. His grandfather is Lloyd Carr.

Our starting QB#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/vFi9pxeMeg

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 19, 2025

LB12Diamond said:

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Weird comment.

And yet they have still not named a starter per Pate. It's open at this time and neither have started a game for ND.

So, nothing like what we are in. LOL

The team has been Reeds since last fall. He has started multiple games last season. Leading the team all offseason.

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My apologies I should have been more clear.

both teams have strong OL....both teams have strong RBs. The difference you are getting at is we know who our QB is....they were indicating they did not....although they just named Carr as the guy with their coach talking about how they need a QB who can make reads and throws.

the question comes down to the QBs. Theirs is unknown. Ours is only a little more known. He has SOME starts but not a ton. And last year teams sold out to stop the run to make him throw. They will very likely do the same this year. Make Reed beat us completing passes.

So in that regard, yes, we are both in the same boat as teams will make the QBs beat us with their arms.