Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 PRESEASON 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: TEXAS A&M BY JACK SOBLE TEXAS A&M RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE There is a decent amount of source material for Texas A&M's rushing offense. Only one projected starter among the offensive line and running back group is a newcomer. Transfer Ar'Maj Reed-Adams — who started 15 games along the offensive line over four seasons at Kansas — should help because he raises the Aggies' floor with his ability to play multiple spots. However, he alone won't elevate a below-average run game. Texas A&M finished just inside the top 100 in rushing yards per carry among FBS teams last season at 3.9. Up front, senior Reuben Fatheree II is expected to start after dealing with injuries for most of 2023. In 2021 and 2022, though, he was a consistent and dependable starter. That is probably why he won the team's offensive "Mr. Dependable" award as a sophomore. He posted above-average run- blocking grades of 74.7 and 71.1, respectively, in his first two seasons. The Aggies will also add Stanford transfer run- ning back EJ Smith to a four-headed monster that includes juniors Le'Veon Moss and Amari Daniels plus sophomore Rueben Owens. Each returner had at least 96 carries and 385 yards last year. Notre Dame fans will remember Smith from his 7-recep- tion, 116-receiving yard performance against the Irish in 2023. However, the scheme might be the biggest fac- tor here. Out is Jimbo Fisher 's outdated system. In is former Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein, whose Wildcats tied for 19th in the nation last season with 5.0 yards per carry. He will un- doubtedly make A&M better, but it might not be enough against a very good Notre Dame front. The Irish finished in the nation's upper third with 3.7 opponent yards per carry. Furthermore, only 21.9 percent of run plays resulted in a first down (13th in the country), per Sports Info Solu- tions (SIS). No interior defensive line pairing registered as many defensive stops as graduate students How- ard Cross and Rylie Mills last season. Graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser registered a missed tackle rate of only 5.1 percent, which ranked ninth nationally. That's too much talent and experience for the Aggies to overcome. Advantage: Notre Dame TEXAS A&M PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Texas A&M redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman only has eight career starts un- der his belt, but they were awfully impressive. He's thrown for 16 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions in his career, and his yards per attempt progressed before a season-ending injury in 2023. It improved from 6.8 as a freshman to 8.2 as a sophomore. Crucially, Weigman was among the best at avoid- ing sacks. His pressure-to-sack ratio — one of the most significant and translatable stats NFL scouts look for in signal-callers — stood at just 7.3, which was sixth in the nation among quarterbacks with at least 130 drop-backs. The film backs this up; Weigman is quite good at getting rid of the ball and making accurate throws under pressure. That will be necessary against Notre Dame. The Irish pressured opposing signal-callers on 43.5 percent of their pass attempts, per SIS. That was the fourth-best mark in the country. It starts with Cross and Mills, who combined for more pres- sures (71) than any defensive tackle duo last year. Duke graduate transfer RJ Oben brings three years of consistent pass-rush production. He will replace departed end Javontae Jean-Baptiste and tends to play his best in the biggest games. Notre Dame's depth here is what really sets it apart, though. Young linebackers Jaylen Sneed, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry are all weapons as blitzers. You can count on defensive coordinator Al Golden going full evil genius to get them involved. Weigman does have a strong blind-side protec- tor in redshirt junior offensive tackle Trey Zuhn III, who posted a 77.1 Pro Football Focus (PFF) pass- On PaPer Sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, who only has eight career starts under his belt, has tossed 16 touchdown passes and just 2 interceptions in his career. PHOTO COURTESY TEXAS A&M