Under the glow of the Golden Dome, No. 16 Texas A&M shone brighter, beating No. 8 Notre Dame, 41-40.
A measuring-stick moment for Mike Elko’s squad, A&M’s final drive was the difference.
But before the Aggies found their late-game poise, their evening in South Bend started with plenty of action.
A penalty and back-to-back incompletions plagued the Aggies’ opening drive. Tyler White’s punt was blocked, allowing the Irish to get on the board rather quickly.
Back on offense, A&M followed up with an uninspiring three-and-out. One of the nation’s most talented players, running back Jeremiyah Love, moved the chains for the Irish on his first touch. On third down, Scooby Williams stepped up to force Love backward, and DJ Hicks finished for a loss of five.
Needing a response, the Marcel Reed-to-Mario Craver connection delivered in explosive fashion. The Mississippi State transfer sped through three Notre Dame defenders to score an 86-yard touchdown, the longest of his career.
An unnecessary roughness penalty on Dezz Ricks cost the Aggies on Notre Dame’s ensuing drive. Across midfield, CJ Carr took a shot, a 43-yarder to Eli Raridon to set up Jadarian Price’s 7-yard touchdown two plays later.
Reed threw his first interception of the year to Leonard Moore to give the ball back to the Irish offense. Price strutted down the sideline for a gain of 24, and Notre Dame’s rush-heavy approach continued to move the chains. The home squad started the second quarter on A&M’s 4-yard line, but Will Lee III broke up a pass on third down to force Notre Dame to kick a 22-yard field goal.
It didn’t take long for A&M’s passing game to come back alive. Two chain-moving completions brought the Ags to midfield before Reed’s deep ball to KC Concepcion planted A&M on the 1-yard line. Le’Veon Moss capped off the drive by running in the end zone, the first of a three-touchdown day for the running back.
Yet, Notre Dame immediately responded. In six plays, the Irish marched 75 yards, ending the drive with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Love.
With less than 10 minutes to go in the half, Reed and Craver went back to work. Gains of 11 and 21 propelled the visiting squad into positive territory. A dime to Rueben Owens II put the Aggies right along the goal line before Moss punched it in once again.
Soon after, Williams picked off Carr on the Notre Dame 47-yard line. Another deep pass to Craver for a gain of 31 kick-started the drive, and Moss gave the Aggies a new set of downs. Inside the red zone, Moss took the snap and forced his way across the goal line to give the Maroon & White their first lead of the night.
Just before the half, Carr completed a pass to Raridon, where Bryce Anderson came in to make the tackle, going down with a neck injury. After the Aggies circled in prayer for Anderson, his helmet and pads were removed, and he was carted off the field.
With Anderson top of mind, the Aggie defense resumed action as Daymion Sanford sacked Carr for a loss of five, and a Notre Dame miscommunication on fourth down allowed A&M to take over at their own 43.
Moss moved the Aggies into field goal range, but Randy Bond missed a 53-yard field goal to conclude an action-packed first half.
To begin the second half, Notre Dame and A&M traded wasted possessions. Taking over with great field position, Price recorded all of Notre Dame’s 29 yards on the touchdown drive to steal back the lead.
A few short gains brought up a crucial third down for the Aggies, where they failed to convert. Promptly after, Notre Dame was faced with fourth-and-1, where Sanford swarmed Love for a loss.
Concepcion’s back-to-back catches of 11 and 10 helped A&M reach field goal range. Bond knocked in a 43-yard field goal to tie it up at 31-31.
Notre Dame’s offense flashed urgency with a 34-yard pass to Jaden Greathouse just before the fourth quarter. DJ Hicks sacked Carr for a loss of one to help set the drive back, but Noah Burnette hit a 39-yard field goal to keep the drama rolling.
Looking for an answer, Reed scrambled for a gain of three, coming off the field due to apparent injury. A targeting penalty moved the Aggies up, and Reed came back in a play later to find Terry Bussey for a pickup of 18. Moss weaved his way to find 12, but the drive halted around the 35-yard line as Bond kicked another field goal to knot it up, 34-34.
Malachi Fields’ 20-yard catch set Notre Dame’s offense in motion on their penultimate offensive drive. A collection of short gains kept the chains moving, and Love ran in the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.
After Bussey’s 99-yard kickoff return was called back due to a holding penalty, Reed found his most trusted target in Craver, who coasted away for 34. On third down, Reed picked up a first with his feet before two penalties backed up the march. Christian Gray gifted some yards back on a holding call on third down.
On fourth and goal at the 11-yard line with 19 seconds to go, Reed fired to Nate Boerkircher, who hauled in his first touchdown drive as an Aggie. Bond sealed the deal with a game-winning PAT.
RUMBLED: Can’t slow down Mario Craver. The Aggie wideout was spectacular in the win with 207 yards and a touchdown. In the first quarter, Reed aired it out to Craver for an 86-yard touchdown to spark life into the Aggie offense. From there, Craver continued to show off his speed and athleticism, playing a massive role in the upset. Craver’s 207 yards are the seventh-most by an A&M receiver in a single game in program history.
STUMBLED: Texas A&M’s lackluster third-quarter offense slowed them down. Recording just 44 yards of total offense in the third led to late-game dramatics. Consistency would have slowed the heart rate of Aggies around the nation. Additionally, A&M certainly did not play the cleanest football, racking up 13 penalties.
TURNING POINT: What a game. The top-20 showdown traded blows and was not decided until the final drive. On the fourth down, Marcel Reed found transfer tight end Nate Boerkircher to take down No. 6 Notre Dame in South Bend.
UNSUNG HERO: What a way to step up. In for the injured Scooby Williams, Daymion Sanford was reliable all night. The junior linebacker registered seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, as well as one sack.
KEY STAT: This was Texas A&M’s first road win against a road-ranked opponent since Nov. 8, 2014, at No. 3 Auburn.
First-quarter
ND: 13:06 - Tae Johnson 20-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown. Notre Dame 7, Texas A&M 0
A&M: 9:33 - Marcel Reed 86-yard touchdown pass to Mario Craver. Drive: 2 plays, 90 yards. TOP 0:47. Notre Dame 7, Texas A&M 7
ND: 6:30 - Jadarian Price 7-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards. TOP 3:03. Notre Dame 14, Texas A&M 7
Second-quarter
ND: 14:54 - Noah Burnette 22-yard field goal. Drive: 11 plays, 38 yards. TOP 5:05. Notre Dame 17, Texas A&M 7
A&M: 12:323 - Le’Veon Moss 1-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards. TOP 2:31. Notre Dame 17, Texas A&M 14
ND: 9:43 - CJ Carr 36-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiyah Love. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards. TOP 2:40. Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 14
A&M: 5:32 - Le’Veon Moss 2-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards. TOP 4:11. Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 21
A&M: 1:11 - Le’Veon Moss 1-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards. TOP 2:20. Texas A&M 28, Notre Dame 24
Third-quarter
ND: 8:17 - Jadarian Price 17-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards. TOP 2:15. Notre Dame 31, Texas A&M 28
A&M: 0:44 - Randy Bond 43-yard field goal. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards. TOP: 2:50. Notre Dame 31, Texas A&M 31
Fourth-quarter
ND: 13:59 - Noah Burnette 39-yard field goal. Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards. TOP: 1:38. Notre Dame 34, Texas A&M 31
A&M: 9:06 - Randy Bond 45-yard field goal. Drive: 11 plays, 47 yards. TOP: 4:56. Notre Dame 34, Texas A&M 34
ND: 2:53 - Jeremiyah Love 12-yard rushing touchdown. PAT is no good. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards. TOP 6:13. Notre Dame 40, Texas A&M 34
A&M: 0:13 - Marcel Reed 11-yard touchdown pass to Nate Boerkircher. Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards. TOP 2:28. Texas A&M 41, Notre Dame 40
