College football is weird. We spend eight months dissecting rosters, arguing about "dirty pockets," and obsessing over coaching pedigrees, only for the game to be decided by a kid catching a back-shoulder fade on a humid night in Texas. That’s basically the vibe whenever Notre Dame vs Texas A&M shows up on the schedule.
Honestly, it’s a rivalry that isn't really a rivalry—at least not in the traditional sense. They’ve played seven times total. They don't share a conference. They don’t even share a border. But every time these two helmets meet, it feels like the entire trajectory of the season shifts. Just look at the 2024 opener at Kyle Field or the 2025 "instant classic" in South Bend. These games aren't just scores on a ticker; they’re psychological warfare.
The 2024 Opener: When Silence Fell on College Station
If you weren't there on August 31, 2024, it’s hard to describe the noise. There were 107,315 people packed into Kyle Field. It was 91 degrees with 0% chance of rain, but the humidity felt like a wet blanket. Texas A&M was favored by 2.5 points. Everyone expected Mike Elko’s debut to be a coronation.
Instead, we got a defensive slog that would make an 80s coach weep with joy.
The first half was just a trade-off of field goals. Randy Bond for A&M, Mitch Jeter for the Irish. 3-3. 6-6. It was ugly. Riley Leonard, who had just transferred from Duke to Notre Dame, was playing against his old coach, Mike Elko. Talk about awkward. Leonard looked "erratic" at times, according to some analysts, but he was steady when it mattered.
The game finally cracked open in the third quarter. Jadarian Price found a crease and went 47 yards to the house. You could almost hear the air leave the stadium. But the Aggies didn't quit. Le’Veon Moss punched in a 1-yard score in the fourth to tie it at 13-13.
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Then came "The Drive."
Notre Dame marched 85 yards in eight plays. It wasn't flashy. It was just a young offensive line—a group with only six career starts between them—deciding they weren't going to be pushed around anymore. Jeremiyah Love capped it with a 21-yard touchdown run that basically silenced the 12th Man. Final score: Notre Dame 23, Texas A&M 13.
Breaking Down the 2025 Rematch
Fast forward to September 13, 2025. This time, the scene was South Bend. Notre Dame was ranked No. 8; A&M was No. 16. It was supposed to be the Irish's revenge for a shaky start to their season, but college football rarely follows the script you write for it.
Texas A&M walked into Notre Dame Stadium and did the unthinkable. They won a shootout 41-40.
If 2024 was a defensive masterclass, 2025 was a video game. Mario Craver, the A&M wideout, put up a performance for the history books: 207 yards on seven catches. He had an 86-yard touchdown catch that looked like he was shot out of a cannon. Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love was equally insane, racking up 94 yards on the ground and two scores.
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The difference? A missed extra point.
Notre Dame held a late lead, but that missed PAT loomed like a dark cloud. Marcel Reed, the A&M quarterback, led a 13-play, 74-yard march that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Nate Boerkircher with only 13 seconds left. It was the Aggies' first road win over a Top 25 opponent since 2014.
Why This Series Matters More Than You Think
Looking at the history, Notre Dame leads the series 4-3, but that's a bit misleading. The "rivalry" is built on these weird, high-stakes clusters.
- The Cotton Bowl Era (1987-1994): They met three times in Dallas. In '88, A&M crushed Tim Brown’s Irish 35-10. In '93 and '94, Lou Holtz got his revenge, winning back-to-back Cotton Bowls.
- The Bob Davie Years (2000-2001): A home-and-home where the home team won each time. Notre Dame took the 2000 game in South Bend, and the Aggies dominated 24-3 in College Station the following year.
- The Modern Era (2024-2025): This is where the bad blood really started to simmer.
Most people get it wrong when they say Notre Dame always wins the big ones. In this specific matchup, it’s usually about who survives the trench battle. In 2024, Notre Dame’s defense under Al Golden dared A&M to beat them over the top, and Conner Weigman just couldn't do it (he finished 12-of-30 for 100 yards and two picks). In 2025, the script flipped because A&M found an explosive passing game that simply didn't exist a year prior.
The Mike Elko Factor
You can't talk about Notre Dame vs Texas A&M without talking about Mike Elko. The guy is the common thread. He was the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. He was the head coach at Duke when Riley Leonard was his QB. Then he took over at A&M.
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Elko knows the "Irish Way," but he also knows Leonard’s tendencies better than anyone. Before the 2024 game, Elko even joked that he wished anyone else was the Irish QB. That level of familiarity usually favors the defense, but in the 2024 game, Leonard’s knowledge of Elko’s system gave him what Elko called the "upper hand."
The Real Stats That Mattered
If you look at the 2024 box score, some numbers jump out:
- Rushing Yards: ND 198, A&M 146.
- Turnovers: A&M had 2, ND had 0.
- Third Down Efficiency: Both were terrible. ND was 2-of-12; A&M was 4-of-13.
It was a game of "productive failures," as some called it. Beaux Collins, the transfer receiver for the Irish, didn't have huge stats (62 yards), but he caught a back-shoulder ball on the final drive that basically moved the chains when the season was on the line.
What We Can Learn from the Rivalry
This matchup teaches us that "environment" is a real stat. Playing at Kyle Field is worth at least a touchdown in noise alone. But it also shows that veteran leadership—like what Leonard brought to South Bend—can neutralize that noise.
If you’re a fan looking for what’s next, keep an eye on the recruiting trail. These two schools are constantly fighting over the same four-star and five-star linemen in Texas and the Midwest. The team that wins the "Notre Dame vs Texas A&M" game usually gets a massive bump in Discover and AP rankings, which translates directly to recruiting momentum.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
- Watch the 2025 All-22 Tape: If you want to see how Mike Elko’s defense evolved from the 2024 loss to the 2025 win, look at how they played the "zero coverage" differently in the fourth quarter.
- Track the Transfer Portal: This series has been defined by transfers (Riley Leonard, Nic Scourton, Beaux Collins). See who moves between the SEC and the Independent ranks this offseason.
- Check the Future Schedules: While no game is currently set for 2026, the new SEC scheduling rules (requiring one Power 4/ND out-of-conference game) mean this rivalry is likely to become a regular fixture again sooner rather than later.
The 2024 and 2025 games proved that when these two programs meet, throw the record books out the window. It's going to be loud, it's going to be physical, and it's probably going to be decided by a play nobody saw coming.