As we continue to look ahead to the 2025 football season, which is coming faster now as the month of July is almost halfway over already, fans are chomping at the bit for weekends with football. Notre Dame fans might even be more ready for the season to start to get the taste of that National Championship out of their mouths.
Today, we continue the series of looking at each game in Notre Dame's season and see what the biggest problem is going to be for the Fighting Irish. It started with looking at Notre Dame's game against Miami, and the biggest challenge there will be their run game and offensive line.
Well, now looking at Texas A&M, they could see some similar problems, but there is one position group that is going to give the Fighting Irish the biggest headache in Week 2.
Texas A&M's offensive line is going to pose a major problem for Notre Dame
Texas A&M is returning all five starters on its offensive line this season, one that was already elite last season, but is ready to take it to another level this season. The SEC was one of the most competitive conferences last season, so for the Aggies to return all five starters is indeed rare, but clearly, head coach Mike Elko is building something down in College Station.
Last season, the Aggies ranked second in rushing in the SEC, averaging 195.5 rushing yards per game and a high production of 27 rushing touchdowns, and that all starts with the offensive line. This offensive line is one of the most veteran lines in the country, totaling over 4,000 snaps together. So, why is this going to be a big problem for Notre Dame?
Well, just like with Miami, Notre Dame is great at stopping the big plays with their secondary, but with an offensive line like Texas A&M's, they will want to play in the trenches and allow them to do the dirty work. The Aggies want to be physical in their run game and keep the ball for chunks of time, so time of possession could be very lopsided.
Having an offensive line that can just move down the field one play at a time will wear down the Fighting Irish defense and limit possessions for the offense. An elite offensive line also opens so many doors for different types of plays that can be run. It gives Marcel Reed, Texas A&M's QB, more time to work in the pocket, but also opens up the play-action game with both the rushing and passing game.
Notre Dame could come out of its Week 2 game a little beaten and bruised, but also hopefully with another win under their belt.