Texas A&M Stuns Notre Dame 41-40 with Last-Second Touchdown

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In a heart-stopping finish, No. 16 Texas A&M overcame No. 8 Notre Dame 41-40 on Saturday night, capped by an 11-yard touchdown strike from Marcel Reed to Nate Boerkircher with just 13 seconds remaining. Randy Bond’s extra point sealed the dramatic victory, giving the Aggies a monumental road win.

“I don’t think Nate had a target all game, but when his name was called, he was ready,” Reed said. The quarterback finished with a career-high 360 yards passing, adding two touchdowns, while Mario Carver hauled in seven receptions for 207 yards, another career-best. Texas A&M (3-0) snapped a 13-game road losing streak against ranked opponents, a streak dating back to their Nov. 8, 2014, victory over then-No. 3 Auburn. Coach Mike Elko, a former Notre Dame assistant, praised his team’s perseverance.

“I don’t know that anything went to script in terms of how you want to go about winning a game on the road,” Elko said. “We just kept fighting, kept battling, kept scrapping. Ultimately, we made one more play than they did.”

Notre Dame (0-2) saw its early-season struggles continue following last season’s College Football Playoff appearance. After opening with a 24-27 loss at No. 5 Miami, the Irish fell behind again Saturday. Coach Marcus Freeman remained focused on improvement.

“You’ve got to go to work and practice and get better,” Freeman said. “I can’t sit here and dwell on being 0-2 as much as I need to dwell on how do we find ways to improve.”

The game featured multiple momentum swings. Bond’s 45-yard field goal tied the game at 34 with 9:06 remaining, but Notre Dame regained a six-point edge on Jeremiyah Love’s 12-yard touchdown run. A botched extra point left the door open for the Aggies’ final drive.

Texas A&M overcame early adversity on the winning drive, which began at their 26-yard line after a 99-yard kickoff return by Terry Bussey was nullified by a holding penalty. Reed connected with Carver for a 34-yard gain, moving into Notre Dame territory before surviving consecutive penalties to set up the game-winning score.

The contest was also marked by emotional moments. Elko angrily threw a folding chair while addressing his defense, and tensions flared pre-game as players from both sides had to be separated.

The Aggies also endured a scare when safety Bryce Anderson was carted off with 58 seconds remaining in the first half after a tackle left him motionless. Anderson gave a thumbs-up as he was taken to the hospital, and Elko reported, “All signs are positive… we’ll continue to pray that comes to a positive resolution.”

Key Takeaways:

• Notre Dame: Early-season playoff aspirations face a serious test after consecutive losses.

• Texas A&M: The Aggies’ passing game showed explosive potential, a sharp contrast to their performance in last year’s 23-13 loss to the Irish.