Marcus Freeman Discusses Quarterback Battle Ahead of Notre Dame and Texas A&M Showdown

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman held his final media availability before Saturday's game against Texas A&M on Thursday, as the Fighting Irish get ready for an important home opener.

Two players who will go a long way in determining the outcome of Saturday's top 20 showdown are Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr and Texas A&M signal caller Marcel Reed. Freeman was asked about both during Thursday's availability, and heres what he had to say about both.

Marcus Freeman Scouts Texas A&M Quarterback Marcel Reed

“He has a strong arm, and he still has an athletic skillset that it’s really a challenge to stop and tackle him. So we’ve got to continue to try to mix up some looks, try to get him to hold the ball, and then we got to keep him in the pocket. Man, he is a dangerous runner, but also can throw the ball.”

Marcus Freeman on CJ Carr's Experience at Miami

“He’s confident. I know he has the control of the huddle. He wanted the ball in his hands. That’s who he is. He’s a competitor, and we’re confident with the ball in his hands, and we didn’t get it done in that two-minute situation last game. But again, he is a very confident individual, that he’ll be ready if that opportunity presents itself again.”

CJ Carr and Marcel Reed: Statistical Comparison

CJ Carr of course has just the one start at Miami under his belt at the college level while Marcel Reed took over halfway through last season for Texas A&M. Below is how the stats of both this season compare to one another.

Reminder: Notre Dame has played just one game while Texas A&M has played two.

CJ Carr Stats: 19 of 30 passing (63.3%), 221 passing yards, 7.4 yards per pass attempt, 2 touchdown passes, 1 interception. 11 rushes for 16 yards and one rushing touchdown.

Marcel Reed Stats: 41 of 62 passing (66.1%), 504 passing yards, 8.1 yards per pass attempt, 7 touchdown passes, 0 interceptions. 18 rushes for 105 yards and one rushing touchdown.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

I wrote about it earlier this week, but what kind of second start at Notre Dame will CJ Carr have on Saturday? There is a recent Notre Dame history that tells two different stories.

In 2017, Brandon Wimbush struggled mightily in what was his second career start, averaging just over five yards an attempt and losing two fumbles to Georgia.

A year later, Ian Book's second start after earning the starting job couldn't have gone better as he threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns in a rout of No. 7 Stanford.

Here's to hoping Carr follows Book's lead and has Notre Dame sitting at 1-1 at roughly 11 p.m. on Saturday night.