By Ralph Russo, Pete Sampson and David Ubben
Nate Boerkircher hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Marcel Reed with 13 seconds left, and No. 16 Texas A&M took advantage of No. 8 Notre Dame’s botched extra point to survive 41-40 on Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium.
Facing a ranked opponent for the second time early this season, the Fighting Irish (0-2) found themselves in another game that went down to the final possessions. Notre Dame lost 27-24 at Miami in Week 1.
Texas A&M (3-0) beat a ranked opponent on the road for the first time since late in the 2014 season, when the Aggies knocked off No. 3 Auburn.
INSANITY! TEXAS A&M SCORES THE WINNER ON 4TH AND GOAL! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/iHtgqqkKwq
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 14, 2025
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love ran for a 12-yard touchdown with 2:53 left in the fourth quarter to cap a methodical 75-yard drive that included a fourth-and-1 conversion in field-goal range and gave Notre Dame a 40-34 lead. But holder Tyler Buchner dropped what looked like a solid snap, and the point after failed with an incomplete pass into the end zone by the backup quarterback.
A&M looked as if it answered immediately with Terry Bussey returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on A&M brought it back and instead put the Aggies at their own 26 to start the drive with 2:41 left. They quickly drove into Notre Dame territory, and a holding penalty on Irish cornerback Christian Gray set up the Aggies with a first-and-goal at the 10 with 39 seconds left in regulation.
Three bad downs then set up fourth-and-goal from the 11 with 19 seconds left.
After a Notre Dame timeout, and with the home crowd blaring, Reed calmly bought some time and floated a pass to Boerkicher, who made the contested catch. A&M’s PAT was perfect, and Notre Dame didn’t have enough time to answer.
Notre Dame fell to 14-8 against ranked opponents under coach Marcus Freeman.
Marcel Reed’s flourishment
Texas A&M didn’t just win a game, it learned a lot about its offense and quarterback.
Last season, first-year starter Reed’s production spiked late in the season after a slow start. He looks like a much more developed passer in his second season.
Reed racked up a career-high 360 yards on 17-of-37 passing for his first career 300-yard game in the win against the nation’s runner-up a season ago, boasting two of the nation’s top corners in Leonard Moore and Gray. No completion was bigger than Reed’s scrambling touchdown pass — his second of the night — to tight end Boerkircher that gave the Aggies the win.
Reed was showing anticipation, throwing with accuracy and hitting throws he rarely hit consistently last year. And it helps that he’s got an upgraded group of speedy receivers in KC Concepcion from NC State, Mario Craver from Mississippi State and Bussey. Craver hauled in an 86-yard catch and run in the first half from Reed, who completed the pass rolling left. Craver’s seven-catch, 207-yard night made him the Aggies’ first 200-yard receiver since Mike Evans in 2013. That can’t happen with an improved passer like Reed.
Moore and Gray were battling injuries, but Reed is showing the kind of growth that gives A&M an offense balanced enough to contend for the SEC. — David Ubben, college football writer
And Notre Dame’s defensive decline
Notre Dame built last year’s run to the national championship game around its defense under coordinator Al Golden and a veteran spine that included two sixth-year seniors and a two-time All-American. It’s proving much harder to replace all that than Marcus Freeman would have expected.
The Irish were picked apart by Reed, who put Notre Dame in unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. By halftime, the Irish defense allowed the same number of touchdowns through six quarters (seven) as it did in the first six games of last season. Apparent injuries to cornerbacks Moore and Gray didn’t help. Neither did the Aggies’ speed at wide receiver, which got behind the Irish secondary all game.
The shock of Notre Dame’s defense taking this big of a step back this quickly should send up alarm bells, as first-year coordinator Chris Ash has yet to find the right formula for a defense expected to pick up where last year’s left off. The Irish didn’t sack Reed after taking down Carson Beck just once in the loss at Miami. Notre Dame forced its first turnover of the season but finished with just the Moore interception. And the Irish posted just two tackles for loss all night.
Notre Dame’s defense won’t be tested by speed like Texas A&M for the next month, perhaps not until USC visits on Oct. 18. But with a defense that’s putting some vexing material on tape, it’s not clear how much Notre Dame can rely on its defense moving forward.
Once a known quantity, the Irish defense is now a riddle that Ash needs to solve as soon as possible. Notre Dame won’t make the College Football Playoff unless he does. — Pete Sampson, Notre Dame beat writer
An offensive battle
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko was back at Notre Dame for the first time since he was the defensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish under Brian Kelly in 2017. He wasn’t happy with his Aggies in the first half, slinging a folding chair and lighting into his players on the bench after a Notre Dame touchdown to make it 14-7.
After a Notre Dame touchdown, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko tossed a chair while yelling at his defense.
Noah Eagle: That chair, we’re gonna have to check on. Because the well-being doesn’t appear to be super high. pic.twitter.com/ebwLITWkx9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 14, 2025
It didn’t get much better for either defense. The Aggies and Irish combined for 917 yards.
The first game of this home-and-home between the Irish and Aggies was a slugfest in College Station last year, too, won 23-13 by Notre Dame after Love broke off a late, long TD run.
In Texas A&M’s first trip to South Bend since 2000 on Saturday, the teams combined for 52 points in the first half, including three short rushing touchdowns by Le’Veon Moss that put the Aggies up 28-24.
Notre Dame opened the scoring by pulling out a trick it perfected last season: the blocked kick. Loghan Thomas smothered a punt on the first possession of the game, and Tae Johnson grabbed the bouncing ball in stride for a 20-yard touchdown return to begin what would be a heated offensive battle. — Ralph Russo, college football writer
(Photo: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
