Notre Dame Will Upset Texas A&M This Week At Their Own Stadium

and now it's time to talk about a big matchup that we've got coming up here on August 31st on Saturday it's at 7:30 p.m. at Kyle Field Notre Dame at Texas A&M this is a really really big game for a whole lot of reasons obviously a whole lot of new going on at uh Texas A&M with the new coaching staff you got a new quarterback and Riley Leonard coming in uh whole lot of new everything right coming in at Texas A&M and then you've got Notre Dame coming into town uh Marcus Freeman entering his third season as the Notre Dame head coach I think the expectations are pretty high for the Notre Dame Squad this year um lose a lot of talent there on that offensive line lost lost some guys to the NFL um we're going to kind of talk about that this game it it really is remarkable we were just talking about it before we got started how kind of similar these teams feel Mason these teams feel really really similar ilar to me and it's not necessarily the playing Styles or anything just kind of the the way that they've you know their strengths and their weaknesses I guess kind of seem to kind of match up and it's I think it's going to make for a really really interesting matchup week one in on a Kyle Field there 12th man's going to be rocking it's going to be a really good time Masa what are the some of the kind of the things that you're looking at in this game that you think are going to you know affect the outcome here Texas A&M is favored in this game and I think a lot of that has got to do with the fact that they're at home like I said I think the talent level's pretty similar on these teams I think they got a lot of the same attributes um over under set at 46 and a half what are your thoughts on this one yeah I think it's a pretty pretty tough line uh both ways you know Texas A&M is favored I think that what you're saying is um that they're a pick them that's what Vegas is saying not what you're saying but um and and I think that's about right giving uh you're giving Texas A&M at least a two and a half Point Advantage for this being a home game it's really probably probably more like four and a half points um so I because I would I would pick Notre Dame to win this game on a neutral site the the fact that it's at Kyle Field is everything for Texas A&M um the differences in these these two teams is that um you know Freeman Marcus Freeman is heading into his third season as the head coach of Notre Dame whereas Mike Elco is in his inaugural season as head coach at Texas A&M and I think that that's a really big difference mainly because this is the first game of the season if this was Game 12 I don't think that would that would make a hill of beans like that it doesn't matter at that point the fact that this is the first game I think is pretty telling um and but I I also think um I also think that the fact again that that Texas A&M get gets this game at home is huge um looking at this game you I mean you said it Mark these are these are two very similar teams matchup wise right I really like their quarterbacks um they're both kind of different in some ways so so you got Riley Leonard coming over um from duke had a pretty good pretty good game or pretty good season I guess with Duke um did battle injury right and kind of kind of kept him sidelined same thing with Conor Wegman right Connor Wegman had a pretty decent game I would say um and then got hurt didn't see him the rest of the season now he's back so to me though when I look at the comparison between the quarterbacks I feel like I have a little bit more of a proven commodity in Riley Leonard and I know what I'm going to get week in and week out we still haven't seen Conor wman I mean the guy's been been hurt he was too young to start before um and and I think that I think we're just getting to know Connor Wegman we've heard good things he was obviously a highly um a highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school but we don't know what we don't know and he hadn't put much on film so I I I don't know I don't know what to make of that I I don't know um where we're going to where his holes are where his weaknesses are um I if you listen to Texas A&M fans they tell us that he's a r rushing quarterback which um or a dual threat quarterback which I I don't I don't necessarily think that especially due to his his uh injury history but um but yeah anxious to see what he does there especially with the weapons that he has um in the wide receiving room and at tight end I which I I say that because I don't really I don't really think there's much going here you got Jada Walker you expect to see him um you know hopefully get a little bit more involved Evan Stewart's gone right you're missing that that Talent there moose muhamad has played well but very inconsistent um and then you got Noah Thomas you know who who looked good in the spring game um he's a big Target I think he's going to be a good one-on-one Target but a lot of unproven here um and I'll and I'll throw in the transfer Cyrus Allen coming over from Louisiana Tech um had had a great great season with him but he's he's kind of that speed a little bit of a different different archetype there but again a lot of improvements on the offensive side of the football and and I'm seeing a lot of the same things with Notre Dame you know we're we're making comparisons right now so for me Riley Leonard um is not a a proven passing quarterback he's a great Runner we know that but also in in the same sense of Conor Wegman being onedimensional I do feel that Leonard Riley is also a bit one-dimensional in using his legs they're the same but just a little bit different in that sense um but uh it you know to compare the two programs I don't know what I've got in the wide receiving room with Notre Dame either you bring over Chris Mitchell he comes over from FIU had over a thousand yards last year um great yards after the catch got a little bit of Wiggle but I don't know I don't know outside uh or I don't know if the FIU um level of competition and his production will translate to the or in this case an SEC game uh but to this level of of play I we don't know that and then you had a lot of you know Jags pretty much at wide receiver that are coming back um I do like Jaden greous he was a true freshman last year he popped in some games but but um I think we're we're still unproven there and that's what that's why I say these two are similar um and then also Mitchell Evans at tight end I really do like him um as a a huge third uh third down weapon he he caught 24 first down catches last year which led the team um outside of that though I think to compare the two running back rooms pretty pretty average to slightly above average I would say you know a little bit unproven this is the first game of the season uh but just based off of what we know of these rosters I think we got pretty similar pretty similar um uh looking you know rosters on the offensive side of the football and and you alluded to one point but the uh you know when we were talking off air but the offensive line for Texas A&M might be a little bit ahead of what Notre Dame's got so to me I mean I I gave you a pretty good list of the of the uh different rooms on the offensive line or excuse me on the offensive side of the football for both teams um some some are a little bit better than others I think in some different ways but ultimately Mark I'm looking at these two and I'm saying how could you get any more even like as I think when you when you compare the two offenses which offenses don't play offenses but it it's a net zero overall when you compare the two what what what is your take on the offensive side of the football and uh if you want to take us into the defense go ahead yeah it's really the same questions for both teams for me and you alluded to both of them what what's the wide receiver room going to give me from both of these teams I I don't know the answers to those questions at those point at this point Notre Dame's wide receiver room is in a sense built you do like you said you bring back great house you bring back Jaden Thomas I think those are two viable options but we we don't need more of the same from Notre Dame and the wide receiver unit over the last few years we need more from that unit if you're a Notre Dame fan so who's giving me more that's that's really what I'm kind of interested in and I like that you mentioned Mitchell Evans I think he's going to be you know a guy that's going to be a factor in this game I don't there's no doubt about that in my mind guys of and and the lineage of of tight ends there in Notre Dame is it goes on and on and on and it it looks like it'll continue um but but Bo Collins is another guy that I I really want to see in a Notre Dame uniform what can he do was he hampered by being a Clemson Tiger or is he who we think he is right from from Clemson is he Bo Collins from Clemson or is he Bo Collins at Notre Dame that's what I got to figure out um for for this offense and you you 100% I agree with you on the offensive line thing and what we talked about before we got on I think Texas A&M just due to the fact that some of these guys were thrown into the fire last year on the offensive line for Texas A&M they it was it was learn In The Deep End right learn how to swim in the deep end and Notre Dame it was kind of the opposite of that right you you had guys go off to the NFL right Joe Al namely one of them who who's going to be a really good Pro so when you have guys go out of your room like that I think that it you know naturally there's going to be questions um you know it's you return Pat huggan you return Roco Spindler and those are really the only guys that have starting experience there and they're both guards um really kind of both play the same position there so I'm sure they're going to end up doing some moving around as well so that's that's just a couple of things that I'm looking for on on Notre Dame uh on their offense and then Texas A&M you know it's it's hard to know what to expect with the team this many transfers so I'm just looking for some type of of identity to be formed here I I'm not looking you know the the offensive coordinator it's Colin Klein and he's going to be working with Conor Wegman this is a weird kind of mashup right this is a country song and a rap song put together to me here um so I'm interested to see what the what the remix sounds like um that's that's something that's going to be really really interesting to watch and I don't think we're going to fully know the answers in week one which kind of alludes to your point that you let off with I think you know what more of what the identity is for this Notre Dame team than we do Texas A&M at this point um so I I I see the two and a half points you know we'll we'll kind of talk about how I'm leaning here at the end let's let's talk about defense for a second I I'll save you guys some time I feel really good about both of the front sevens of both of these teams I there are playmakers all over the place on both of these front sevens Texas A&M I feel like I I'll skip to the secondary because I feel like that's where we need to talk about and what we can discern a difference between these two teams that's a that's a position group where I see an actual difference secondary for for Texas A&M I feel like they went to the portal and did the very best they could but they just did the best they could that and and this isn't a finished product on this defense Mike Elco is going to bring in a lot better players in depth than what is there right this second but you bring bring in some of the same guys you return Chappelle there at one of the one of the cornerback spots you've already kind of seen some of the issues that you've had with him right so can he grow as a player sure he can um but he was a little bit of a liability last year and again you can kind of point to being thrown in the deep end to learn how to swim you know and that that did happen a lot with with this team last year especially towards the end when you're just trying to you know see what you got right and and let guys play and and change things up so um I I like some of the pieces as I said the Texas A&M went and got Jaden Hill from Florida going to be probably playing the nickel there Bryce Anderson that's another guy that you retained on your defense you slide him from corner to safety you know he he had his moments last year that were decent and he had some moments that weren't so decent so um you know that's something to kind of take a look at you talk about the Notre Dame Secondary um you you've got All-America candidate and Morrison there on one side you you've got uh the the safety that won the nersi award last year what was his name Xavier um watt remember his name Xavier Watts you got Rod herd coming in from Northwestern seems like a a pickup that kind of just landed in your lap there at safety um and this defense is going to run run two high safeties a lot and run a lot of quarter defense so these guys are all really comparable to one another and and that's what that's what this team wants on defense they they run lots of quarters and those those lower seven guys they they switch a lot minus you know the D tackles but they move around a lot they'll run a 335 they'll run a 425 it's going to be some confusing looks for Connor Wegman and and that's that's another reason why I'm kind of leaning Notre Dame right now Conor Wegman has got to get in here and knock the rust off and there is no time to do so all the pressure in the world on you 110,000 people screaming at you how is he going to process that that's that's going to be a big question for me when I look at this defense it starts up front for me for for Notre Dame with Howard cross I've got a note there Thanos in front by his name because that's who he is I mean this guy is unreal um as a as a nose tackle uh had 29 run stops which is exactly what you ask a nose tackle to do but also 31 quarterback hurries and 66 tackles was second on the team in tackles Texas A&M is not going to be able to run the football with this guy in the middle they're they're not um he's an absolute playmaker and and you don't see many guys built like him on the interior of the defensive line specifically at the nose tackle position um it starts with him but but as you mentioned the the front seven for Notre Dame is is Elite and it's deep up front I I do think that they're they have the ability to um change guys out and and have little to no drop off I'm really excited to see that unit um and then on the back end I believe that Notre Dame is a little bit better on the back end than Texas A&M I I I really like what uh the cornerbacks that they that they have and or one of the cornerbacks in Benjamin Morrison um and I really like Xavier Watts like you mentioned at free safety and then also the ASU transfer that came over uh Jordan Clark had 50 tackles nine pass breakups uh really sticky guy who can play Man coverage which gives you a lot of different options um when you're when you're talking about these defenses moving over to Texas A&M another Elite probably a little bit better as a whole as a unit on the defensive line than Notre Dame um but I I like this I like the the depth for the defensive line um for Texas A&M and and also at linebacker I really like toron York uh had a hell of a freshman season last year 74 tackles eight and a half tackles for a loss and three sacks you just you just don't see freshman middle linebackers in the SEC who are able and capable of doing that kind of work um that that early in their career but toron York did just that I I think he's on um you know he's on a short list of your your best linebackers in the country and then to me a lot of transfers come in and you expect to see that for a new coach coming in in this day in agent football but a lot of transfers coming in on the back end of this defense a lot of secondary players Dez rxs comes over from Alabama what's he going to be able to do I really like will Lee uh who comes over from Kansas State could those two be your starting left and right cornerback maybe so um and you know you got a central Michigan transfer and Trey Jones the Solomon the shields who's a who's a pit transfer so a lot of really seriously unknown questions I I mean I I don't I don't know how else to paint that there's there's there's going to be absolutely you're you're starting your Chemistry over as soon as you know or or you were at least in Spring ball um how are these guys going to mesh how are they going to communicate you're lucky it's a home game right uh this could be a lot a lot harder to communicate um if you were on the road but but ultimately I I think that I've got questions there I'm going to go ahead and give you my prediction um looking at this game as I said Texas A&M has a huge home field advantage but I think that the coaching experience from Notre Dame is a bit too much um I had when I did my schedule breakdown for Texas A&M you know we have actually we have both of these teams in the playoff uh in our in our top 12 at least in the preseason um I still think that that could happen Texas A&M could lose his first game it's not a conference game they could still be in the SEC Championship um I have them losing this game and I have them losing against Texas at the end of the season and finishing 10- two uh doing this breakdown didn't change that for me I do think that Notre Dame is going to be able to win this game and I think Notre Dame is going to go undefeated this year so um yeah give me Notre Dame and the points uh and as far as the over under I I would lean under on this play that's it's a small number though so I I wouldn't I wouldn't like it but if I if if you were asking me to pick I would say under and I got Notre Dame covering what you got well just to tack on one final Point um Xavier Watts last year this kind of paints a picture for you in what these secondaries kind of the different areas that they're in right now the different worlds they're kind of living in right now Xavier last year had seven interceptions led the country right Texas A&M had nine interceptions last year as a team yeah so it just kind of goes to show which was one of the worst in the country that's one of the lowest numbers in the country as far as a secondary for the whole season so just kind of tell you where these two teams are at it's not any shame to Texas A&M is it's a whole new coaching staff I this is a hell of a first year team okay I just have to say that this is way better of a team than Kirby Smart had a Georgia his first year in my opinion so um I I think I think that Texas A&M is on the right trajectory but as far as this game goes I'm with you mate and I'm I'm feeling like Notre Dame is going to be able to not only hang within look guys this line we have it as two and a half I've even seen three today shop around shop everything around real good um you know you you might be able to to get it even lower at some point later this week or it might even go even so um the the money is coming in on Texas A&M though so we checked this before we got on the money is coming in Onex A&M so any of you that don't know anything about betting let me tell you something most of the time you're going to want to fade the public these lines are are set up to get people to beted on them right and once the line starts to move Vegas adjusts the line based on the amount of money coming in on one side or the other so the the money's flying in on Texas A&M I would fade the public guys I would go Notre Dame plus two and a half if you can get at plus three at some point look for that and as far as the over under goes I'm not touching it I'm not touching it but I think you'd have to play the under right I mean maybe you can maybe you consider to yourself say well that number is so low that I could see them you know it's gotten so low that it's going to bust and it's going to go over that's possible I'm not playing it with my money um I am going to play the Notre Dame plus the points in this one and Kyle Field is going to be rockus I can't wait to see if those quarterbacks can hear the mics inside their helmets it's going to be a really really good time thank you all so much for watching [Music]