A&M's new-look receiving corps expect man-to-man coverage vs. Irish

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Alphas typically resolve a conflict man-to-man.

That’s certainly the approach Notre Dame’s dogged secondary takes. That’s the approach Texas A&M expects to see when the No. 16 Aggies (2-0) travel to face the No. 8 Irish (0-1) in a key college football conflict on Saturday.

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

Notre Dame’s talented defensive backs man-to-manhandled the Aggie receivers in dealing A&M a 23-13 loss last season.

This year could be different. Not for Notre Dame, of course. Irish cornerbacks Leonard Moore and Christian Gray will still play man-to-man.

But there are different men to play man-to-man. New faces could mean new results for A&M.

Transfer receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion have added an explosive element to A&M’s offense that was painfully lacking a year ago. Last season, the Aggies managed only 35 pass completions that covered 20 yards or more.

Through two games this season, the Aggies already have 11. Craver has supplied five of them. Conception has two.

Last season vs. Notre Dame, the Aggies didn’t have a completion of more than 18 yards. They were held to a season-low 100 passing yards.

Craver has already exceeded that total twice. He had 122 receiving yards vs. UTSA and 114 vs. Utah State.

But Craver knows accumulating yardage will be much more difficult against Notre Dame, which last season was ranked fourth in the nation in pass defense.

“You just know they trust their technique, and they’re really taught well, and they’re really coached well,” he said.

Craver said he’s looking forward to the challenge of facing Notre Dame’s man-to-man coverage. He acknowledged he’s aided in that challenge by having Concepcion on the other side.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

KC Concepction has scored four total touchdowns through two games as an Aggie.

Craver indicated he believes Notre Dame’s defense will be more focused on containing Concepcion, who caught two touchdown passes last week.

“He’s the one that’s got the rank,” Craver said. “When you go in (to the game), you already know about him. I don’t really have a lot of film.

“So, it (attention) kind of shifts on him first. I kind of get going early, and then you just play off each other.”

Of course, Craver and Concepcion aren’t the only differences in the A&M lineup. Quarterback Marcel Reed did not play against the Irish last season.

Instead, Conner Weigman started. He completed a 15-yard pass on his first attempt and added an 18-yard completion later in the opening drive. Those two completions accounted for one-third of the A&M passing yardage.

Weigman completed just 12 of 30 attempts. Some of that futility was caused by the Notre Dame defense. But that didn’t explain it all.

Though Elko said he never regretted not bringing in Reed, he’s no doubt glad Reed is now directing the offense.

Reed has passed for 509 yards and seven touchdowns through two games. He’s also rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown.

With Reed, Craver and Concepcion, A&M’s offense figures to be a tougher test for the Irish.

“We look at this as an opportunity to show what we’ve been doing these last nine months and show the team that we are,” Craver said.

Indeed, it will be intriguing to see how these men handle Notre Dame's man-to-man.