SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame’s defense showed flashes in Miami but struggled to finish key moments. The Hurricanes piled up 324 total yards — 205 through the air and 119 on the ground — and converted five of 14 third downs. The Irish defense forced no turnovers and recorded just one sack.
Head Coach Marcus Freeman pointed to the biggest issues: ball security, tackling, and situational execution. The postgame review showed around 12 missed tackles.
Still, there were bright spots. Notre Dame held Miami to just 3.1 yards per carry on 38 rushing attempts. Jalen Stroman led the way with nine tackles, Drayk Bowen added eight, and Boubacar Traore notched the lone sack. Freeman says he expects Bowen, a team captain, to step up again.
Texas A&M comes in with a balanced attack, mixing play-action and screens. After giving up 203 rushing yards to UTSA in their opener, the Aggies tightened up against Utah State. Expect them to challenge Notre Dame’s tackling and discipline early.
The bottom line: the Irish defense under new coordinator Chris Ash looks structurally sound, but they need to close drives, force takeaways, and clean up the tackling. If they do, the defensive story could flip fast.