Elko faces former QB Leonard as coach makes debut for No. 20 Texas A&M against No. 7 Notre Dame

No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas A&M by 3.

Series record: Notre Dame 3-2.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish look to build on last year’s 10-3 campaign and establish themselves as national title contenders when they meet Texas A&M for the first time since 2001. The Aggies look to make a statement in the first game under new coach Mike Elko. The former Texas A&M defensive coordinator, who was hired after a successful run at Duke, replaces Jimbo Fisher, who was fired near the end of a sixth disappointing season at the school where the team finished 7-6.

KEY MATCHUP

Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman vs. Notre Dame’s secondary. Weigman returns after sustaining a season-ending foot injury in the fourth game last season. He was playing well before the injury and threw for more than 300 yards in two of his three full games and had eight touchdown passes combined in his first three games. Saturday he’ll face a secondary that boasts two of the top defensive backs in the country in CB Benjamin Morrison and S Xavier Watts. Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player last season after tying for first in the country with seven interceptions and Morrison is projected to be an NFL first-round pick for his shutdown corner skills.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Notre Dame: QB Riley Leonard. The dual-threat QB transferred to Notre Dame after spending three seasons at Duke, including the last two under Elko. Leonard played just seven games last season due to injuries. But he threw for 2,794 yards and 20 touchdowns while running for 636 yards and 11 more scores in leading Duke to nine wins in 2022.

Texas A&M: DE Nic Scourton. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Scourton, who spent the last two seasons at Purdue, was named a second team preseason AP All American. He led the Big Ten and ranked eighth in the nation with 10 sacks in 2023.

FACTS & FIGURES

The first three meetings between these teams were in the Cotton Bowl. … This will be the second time Notre Dame has visited Kyle Field. … Notre Dame has won six of its last seven season openers. … WR Kris Mitchell joined the Fighting Irish after spending four seasons at Florida International, where he had a career-high 1,118 yards receiving last year. … The Aggies led the SEC with 42 sacks last season and were second with 99 tackles for losses. … Texas A&M LB Taurean York started 13 games as a freshman last year, piling up 74 tackles, including 7 1/2 for losses.

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The Associated Press