Notre Dame vs Texas A&M: Aggies Stun No. 8 Irish 41-40 in Wild Finish, Broadcast on NBC and Peacock

A one-point shocker in South Bend

If you wanted drama, you got it. Texas A&M walked out of Notre Dame Stadium with a 41-40 upset of No. 8 Notre Dame on Saturday night, a prime-time game that swung on a handful of snaps and one botched extra point. The Aggies, ranked No. 16, snapped a 13-game road losing streak against top-10 opponents and did it with nerve, speed, and a quarterback who refused to blink.

This was Notre Dame vs Texas A&M the way fans imagined it: fast, physical, and full of momentum swings. The matchup delivered from the opening quarter to the final seconds. Played September 13, 2025, in South Bend, the game anchored NBC’s Saturday night window and felt like the season’s first true barometer for both programs.

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed authored his best night in maroon: 17-of-37 passing for a career-high 360 yards and two touchdowns. He took shots, lived with a few misses, and crushed Notre Dame’s secondary when he hit. His most dangerous weapon was wideout Mario Craver, who turned seven catches into 207 yards, including an 86-yard lightning bolt in the first quarter that set the tone for the Aggies’ willingness to attack vertically.

Notre Dame had answers for most of the night. Freshman quarterback C.J. Carr looked steady for long stretches, finishing 20-of-32 with one touchdown and one interception. The Irish leaned on tailback Jeremiyah Love for the tough yards; he logged 23 carries for 94 yards and a 12-yard score that put Notre Dame up 40-34 with 2:53 to play. That extra point? A botched snap left the lead at six. It felt minor in the moment. It wasn’t.

The Aggies took that sliver of daylight and ran through it. Reed guided a composed, surgical drive in crunch time, mixing intermediate routes with tempo and trusting his outside receivers to win leverage. Notre Dame’s pass rush got close but couldn’t finish. The Aggies finished the drive in the end zone with the clock bleeding, flipping the game on its head and silencing a crowd that had been roaring all night.

This wasn’t a game of long, plodding possessions. It was about explosives and answers. Craver’s 86-yarder came off a clean release and a missed leverage angle, and Notre Dame never truly found a counter for his speed. The Irish counterpunched with balanced play-calling: quick-game timing throws, play-action, and a commitment to Love between the tackles. But when your opponent is hunting chunk plays, one special teams miscue can become the hinge on which a result swings.

Reed’s 360 passing yards tell part of the story. The other part is how those yards arrived: off-script movement, deep shots against single-high looks, and the willingness to challenge the Irish cornerbacks one-on-one. Notre Dame’s defense contested throws but surrendered too many explosives to win a shootout. Carr’s lone interception didn’t define his night, but it did trim a precious possession in a game where every snap mattered.

Context matters here. Texas A&M hadn’t beaten a top-10 team on the road in a long time, and to do it in South Bend lends this win a little extra weight. It’s the kind of September result that shapes poll movement and playoff talk. The Aggies will soar in the rankings and earn national respect for how they closed. Notre Dame, meanwhile, takes a gut-punch loss that doesn’t end its goals, but it does shrink the margin for error heading into the meat of the schedule.

The night also took a sobering pause late in the first half. With 58 seconds left before the break, Texas A&M’s Bryce Anderson was carted off and taken to a hospital for evaluation. As he left the field, he gave a thumbs-up, and the program later said he had feeling in all his limbs. The sight quieted the stadium and sharpened the focus on player safety, even as the game’s intensity surged again after halftime.

The environment lived up to the billing. A night game at Notre Dame Stadium carries a certain edge, and both teams fed off it. The Aggies handled the pressure, weathered Notre Dame’s late surge, and made the last big play. The Irish generated enough offense to win, but one bad snap loomed larger than any single pass or run.

• Marcel Reed: 17-of-37, 360 yards, 2 TDs — career high in passing yards.
• Mario Craver: 7 receptions, 207 yards, including an 86-yard TD in the first quarter.
• Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr: 20-of-32, 1 TD, 1 INT — efficient control, one costly turnover.
• Jeremiyah Love: 23 carries, 94 yards, go-ahead 12-yard TD with 2:53 left.
• Special teams swing: botched extra point kept the Irish lead at 40-34, not 41-34.
• Streak snapped: Aggies end a 13-game road skid vs. top-10 opponents.

TV, streaming, and where fans saw it

The game aired on NBC, which carries Notre Dame home games over the air in most markets. Viewers with an antenna could access the broadcast for free via their local NBC affiliate, and cable/satellite/streaming bundles that include local NBC stations also had the game. Peacock streamed the matchup for subscribers, part of the platform’s ongoing tie-in with NBC’s Notre Dame coverage.

If you missed it live, replays and condensed versions are typically available for Peacock subscribers after the final whistle. NBC’s prime-time window delivered the stage; the teams delivered the spectacle. Between Reed’s deep shots and Notre Dame’s late push, this one offered the kind of September adrenaline jolt that keeps fans glued to the screen.

What comes next is straightforward for both sides: clean up the details and ride the momentum — or the response. Texas A&M has a signature road win to build on, and its vertical passing game now has proof on tape that it can stress top-10 defenses. Notre Dame has plenty to like on offense and a reminder that special teams can decide everything. The calendar flips quickly in college football, and conference play won’t wait.