Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set for their home opener Saturday night against the Texas A&M Aggies. Heading into the contest with a 0-1 record after their opening season loss to the Miami Hurricanes, this team feels desperate for a win. Falling to 0-2 would be a tough hole to dig themselves out of to try and make another playoff run. 

On the offensive side of the football, the Notre Dame unit is going to have to be a whole lot better than when we last saw them. The Irish have a ton of talent to find some solutions this weekend. It will all depend on how these various Notre Dame offensive players perform against the Aggies. 

QB CJ Carr 

We saw a lot of good moments from the redshirt quarterback two weekends ago, but like every young player, he needs to continue getting better and better. Carr made a lot of good decisions, but too many poor ones as well during his first outing. Continuing to eliminate the negative plays will be the main focus, as well as creating more explosives. As the 6-3, 210-pound passer gets more and more comfortable, I expect the staff to add things to his plate. The question is how much of that we see against the Aggies, but regardless, Carr needs to play a good game. 

RB Jeremiyah Love 

It might sound hyperbolic, but this Notre Dame offense goes as Jeremiyah Love goes. He is arguably the best running backs in all of college football, and one of the very best overall playmakers also. The lack of attention to the run game down in Hard Rock Stadium really limited this Irish offense overall. I would expect the 6-0, 214-pound playmaker to get a lot of opportunities early in this contest, both in the run and passing game to help settle the offense in. 

WR Jaden Greathouse 

Following an offseason of hype and expectations, Greathouse went without a reception against the Hurricanes. That needs to change against the Aggies in a big way this weekend. While Texas A&M is long and talented on the outside at cornerback, there are plays to be made in the middle of the field. The linebacker duo of Taurean York and Scooby Williams are both good when playing downhill, but are far from great coverage linebackers in space. There should be a lot of soft spots to be found in between and behind them, and Greathouse will have to take advantage of his opportunities. 

OT Anthonie Knapp 

After a struggling first game against Miami, Knapp desperately needs a bounceback game against the Aggies. While there isn’t a power rusher the likes of Rueben Bain or Akheem Mesidor that will be on the field for Texas A&M on Saturday night, there is a whole lot of speed and bend. Knapp will see his fair share of pass rusher Cashius Howell, who is coming off a three-sack performance last week. He is the defensive lineman that the Irish need to be worried about most, and Howell will be coming from the blindside a lot.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish News

The outstanding, the ugly, and the uncertain for Notre Dame heading into their primetime matchup with the Texas A&M Aggies

Trying to figure out what we do and don’t know about Notre Dame football heading into the Texas A&M matchup

Ryan Roberts