Texas A&M leads Notre Dame After Wild First Half

The No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies entered South Bend, Indiana, with a massive non-conference game knowing what was on the line. One of those options is breaking the 14-game drought against top-10 teams on the road or letting a resume-building match slip out of its hands and fly back to Aggieland knowing the tough stretch that’s ahead of them.

Going into halftime, A&M leads Notre Dame 28-24.

Headlining the first half was a huge special teams play right out of the gate for the Fighting Irish when it blocked a kickoff from the foot of Tyler White after the Aggies went three and out. A surprising showing for A&M’s running back has many Irish fans in shock as Le’Veon Moss rushed for three touchdowns in what is setting up to be a thriller of a second half.

An area of concern, though, is the Aggies’ defense on the struggle bus when it comes to stopping the run and limiting busted coverage. However, throwing the ball has been the Aggies' strong suit, finding Mario Craver and KC Concepcion downfield numerous times.

Stop The Irish Offense

Mario Craver runs the ball against Notre Dame — Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Mario Craver (1) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jordan Botelho (12) during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Notre Dame ground game is in full throttle.

Entering this evening, the pressure fell on the Aggies' defense and whether it would step up to the occasion or let the Irish run and pass all over the place. The Aggies' run defense allowed 281 yards on the ground with an average of 4.1 yards per rushing attempt.

Thus far, running backs Jeremiah Love and Jadarian Price have stolen the show, keeping the Aggies on their toes. Love currently sits at 43 yards while Price has registered 35 yards.

On the first drive, Love established his dangerous abilities after getting pushed around and limited against Miami. An uncharacteristic blown coverage downfield on a flea flicker allowed freshman CJ Carr to connect with one of his top tight end targets, Eli Raridon, on a 43-yard gain that set up a Price score to put Notre Dame on top, 14-7.

The only other massive mistake came courtesy of when Love was wide open with one man to beat, which ended in a 36-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 24-14.

Explosive Passing Setting Up Moss

Craver has continued to be an asset that A&M picked up in the portal. On A&M’s third drive, a creative playcall by offensive coordinator Collin Klein got Reed finding Craver on a catch and run for the 85-yard score that eventually put Craver over 100 yards for a third consecutive game.

A&M’s pass game also took full advantage of one of Notre Dame’s starters in the secondary being injured, which allowed Elko & Co. to continue hammering the nail to the defense, targeting Concepcion a handful of times.

Concepcion’s biggest pickup came on a 45-yard laser from Reed on the fifth drive.

As it sits, Reed has completed 9-of-16 of his passes for 258 yards and one touchdown with Craver totaling 173 yards. Concepcion has two receptions for 61 yards.

The second half of Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame will resume momentarily on NBC.