A&M looks to end 15-game drought against top-10 teams on the road

Click HERE to view Texas A&M’s Monday press conference.

Texas A&M hopes to continue one college football streak and end another when the No. 16 Aggies face No. 8 Notre Dame on Saturday.

A&M has gotten off to a 2-0 start. The Aggies would love to continue their modest winning streak, but that will require ending a mammoth road skid vs. ranked opponents.

A&M hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent on their home field since upsetting No. 3 Auburn during the 2014 season.

Since then, the Aggies have lost 15 such matchups.

A&M coach Mike Elko spoke on Monday at his weekly press conference about the challenge of overcoming the dubious streak.

“When you decide to join the SEC and play on the road, you play in some really hard venues,” Elko said. “I think we’ve played in some out-of-conference venues that have been really challenging, going back to my time as a defensive coordinator.”

A&M lost a non-conference game at No. 1 Clemson in 2019, which was Elko’s second year as defensive coordinator under former coach Jimbo Fisher.

That year, the Aggies also lost at No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Georgia and No. 1 LSU.

Those are all hostile environments for the visitors. Notre Dame will be, too.

“Obviously, for us to take the next step as a program, that’s the next hurdle that we have got get over,” Elko said. “You know, we got over not winning on the road last year. Now we’ve got to get over the winning at night on the road against a top-10 team.”

Last season, the Aggies won at Florida to end a 10-game road losing streak.

Marvelous Marcel

Elko raved about quarterback Marcel Reed, who is off to a strong start.

He’s averaging 307 yards of total offense after leading the Aggies to consecutive victories over UTSA and Utah State. He’s fifth in the SEC in total offense.

Reed has also accounted for eight touchdowns (seven passing, one rushing) and hasn’t yet committed a turnover.

“I think he’s matured in his understanding of offense and what it all looks like,” Elko said. “I think he’s got a better feel and rhythm for the passing game. He’s had a really, really good first two games.”

Of course, he’ll be facing stronger competition vs. Notre Dame.

“The quality of opposition is about to ramp up really, really high,” Elko acknowledged. “I know he’s looking forward and excited for the challenge.”

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Marcel Reed has accumulated 614 yards of offense and eight total touchdowns through his first two games in 2025.

About that challenge... 

Notre Dame had one of the strongest pass defenses in the nation last season. The Fighting Irish were fourth in pass defense.

Although Notre Dame allowed 205 passing yards and two touchdown passes in its season-opening 27-24 loss at Miami, the Irish secondary still projects to be among the best.

Returning 2024 starters Leonard Moore and Christian Gray form a premier cornerback tandem.

“They play a lot of man coverage,” Elko said. “They play it really, really well because they have really talented players there.”

In the right direction

Elko indicated he’s feeling good about the Aggies’ trajectory heading into the clash with Notre Dame.

He said the Aggies made progress between their season-opener vs. UTSA and last week’s game vs. Utah State.

“I definitely think you saw us moving in the right direction,” Elko said. “There was clearly progress from Week 1 to Week 2 on both sides of the ball.

“I thought we established the run game a lot better on offense.”

Elko said the Aggies were more efficient on drives. He said they were efficient on 10 of 13 drives.

He also praised the offense for its continued explosiveness. The Aggies have produced 37 plays that covered at least 10 yards. They have 16 plays of 20 yards or more.

Elko alluded to costly penalties leading to a pair of Utah State scoring drives but was very pleased with the overall defensive effort.

The Aggies posted six sacks, nine tackles for loss, allowed just 78 rushing yards and limited Utah State to just two conversions on 14 third-down situations.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Cashius Howell was named the SEC’s Defensive Line Player of the Week for his three-sack performance vs. Utah State.

No place like Dome?

Elko, who spent a year as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator in 2017, said Notre Dame Stadium is a lot like Southeastern Conference venues, but also different.

“I think it’s different,” he said. “I don’t know if it plays different, but the thing I’ve always said to people about Notre Dame is you can just feel the history of tradition, you know, from Touchdown Jesus to just the feel in and around the stadium.

“You feel the tradition. You feel the history. You feel what that program has meant for so long to college football. And then, obviously, they’ve done a really good job with some of the recent renovations to create the modern feel to it as well.

“It’s a cool place. I think it’s a really unique place. It’ll be a great atmosphere.”

NOTES

• Elko said in his opening remarks that Reed and offensive tackle Trey Zuhn III are fine and will play vs. Notre Dame. Both left the game vs. Utah State with injuries.

• Elko announced the players of the week. Honorees were quarterback Reed (offense), defensive end Cashius Howell (defense), Terry Bussey (special teams), Mark Nabou Jr. (offensive lineman) and T.J. Searcy (defensive lineman). Scout team players honored were Carter Braugh (offense), Nana Boadi-Owusu (defense) and Layne Gerke (special teams).

• Howell was also named the SEC’s Defensive Line Player of the Week for posting three sacks on three consecutive plays.