AggieYell.com kicks off its preview of the season opening matchup between No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 7 Notre Dame with a look at the Aggie offense against the Fighting Irish defense.
When, where, weather and TV
When: Saturday, Aug. 31, 6:30 p.m. central time
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
Weather: 50% chance of rain, high of 89
TV: ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe)
Texas A&M offensive depth chart
Notre Dame defensive depth chart
Injury update
Texas A&M: RB Rueben Owens (leg) is likely out for the year.
WR Jabre Barber (foot) is out.
TE Garrett Miller (undisclosed) is out.
Notre Dame: CB Chance Tucker (ACL) is out for the year.
DB Marty Auer (ACL) is out for the year.
Texas A&M returning statistical leaders from 2023
Passing: Weigman, 82-119 (68.9%), 979 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT
Henderson, 53-78 (68%), 715 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT
Reed, 21-36 (58.3%), 374 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Daniels, 105 carries, 532 yards (5.1 YPC), 6 TD
Moss, 96 carries, 484 yards (5 YPC), 5 TD
Receiving: Allen, 46 catches, 778 yards (16.9 YPC), 6 TD (at Louisiana Tech)
Walker, 35 catches, 590 yards (16.9 YPC), 2 TD
Thomas, 29 catches, 359 yards (12.4 YPC), 5 TD
Muhammad, 27 catches, 345 yards (12.8 YPC), 2 TD
Notre Dame returning statistical leaders from 2023
Tackles: Cross, 66
Kiser, 62
Watts, 55
Tackles for loss: Cross, 7
Oben, 6 (with Duke)
Mills, 5.5
Botelho, 4.5
Sacks: Oben, 5 (with Duke)
Botelho, 4
Mills, 2.5
Inteceptions: Watts, 7
Morrison, 3
Forced fumbles: Cross, 2
Fumble recoveries: Mills, 2
What A&M wants to do
There's no point in putting up last year's total stats for A&M because this is an entirely different offense. Collin Klein's scheme is in; Jimbo Fisher's is out at the ol' fishin' hole.
Klein likes to run a lot of two tight end sets, so Watson and (likely) Theo Ohrstrom will get a lot of work. He likes power football, but he plays to advantages. If he thinks his offense has a positive matchup on the outside, they'll run there.
The offense, generally, goes at a better pace than Fisher's scheme. The players have commented on how the tempo is a lot quicker than what they were used to last season. Klein likes a to run a lot of RPO action, and uses far more motion than what we've seen in recent years. We will also see Weigman running more than we've seen the first two years.
At K-State, Klein used a lot of quick passes to the backs and tight ends, almost as an extension of the running game. But then, when opponents started to move up, he'd hit them deep, frequently over the deep middle.
Look for the Aggies to use a lot of different formations, a lot of different sets and a lot of motion. Klein will look for advantages that develop over the course of the game and, while the Aggies will look to play a power game, they're not going to shy away from trickery and the deep ball when the opportunity presents itself.
How Notre Dame may try to counter
The Fighting Irish were the number five defense in the nation and second in the red zone last season. They were also third in pass defense. In other words, they were really good.
They've lost a lot of guys from that team, but they return a stout group with some real stars. Howard Cross III leads a top-10 front line, buttressed by the addition of RJ Oben from Duke. He only had 17 tackles last year, but 5 sacks. He can be a real problem, and Elko mentioned him specifically on Monday.
The Irish didn’t rack up a lot of sacks last season, but still stifled opposing offenses. Their line is undersized, but they rely on speed to control the point of attack. It worked well, with Cross and Kiser, the WILL linebacker, being two of the biggest tacklers on the team.
The VYP is "Vyper" which is basically a standup defensive end. Al Golden's defense has relied heavily on the ability to go sideline to sideline with his base four, but the linebackers (who play deeper than most) have the ability to come downhill as the linemen hold up blockers.
The secondary have two All-American- caliber defenders in Watts and Morrison. They combined for 10 interceptions last year on a defense that forced 24 total turnovers. Add in Clark, who transferred from Arizona State, and they’ve got some real talent and experience. The Irish vary their looks from Cover 4 Match to man, so A&M's motion will be helpful in that regard.
Golden would rather not blitz, but has the ability to do it if he wants. He's more apt to blitz his nickel or a linebacker, and he'll overload a side in order to gain an advantage. He's very aggressive when opponents are in the red zone.
Like A&M's offense, Notre Dame's defense preaches flexibility. That will make the chess match between Klein and Golden all the more interesting.
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