With Texas A&M heading up to South Bend, Indiana, to take on Notre Dame, there are some players on the Aggie offense that can shake things up for the Fighting Irish’s secondary. A huge threat is Mario Craver, the transfer wide receiver from Mississippi State, who has been excellent through his first two games as an Aggie.
Last season, the Notre Dame defense held the Aggies to 13 points and only one touchdown that came from a one-yard rush from Le’Veon Moss. The Fighting Irish ranked fourth in all of NCAA football in points allowed per game with 15.5.
Craver leads the Aggies this season in receiving yards with 236 off of 13 receptions, as he has also tabbed on three touchdowns. He got a chance to catch up with the media ahead of the road trip up to South Bend.
Oct 12, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Mario Craver (7) runs after a catch against the Georgia Bulldogs in the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Fighting Irish played primarily a man coverage against Miami, which is safe to assume they will continue to play a man coverage defense against Texas A&M.
“They have a great personnel to be able to play man coverage, I just look at it as a challenge,” Craver said. “I tend to do pretty well but that’s something we’ll see Saturday,” Craver replied after being asked how he performs against a man coverage defense.
In wins against UTSA and Utah State, Craver has been excellent as he has recorded over 100 receiving yards in both matchups. He has also scored a touchdown in both of those games, proving his dominance on the field.
“It just shows all the work that I’ve been putting in these last nine months here and I’m going to try to keep that same pace,” Craver said.
With Texas A&M going on the road to Notre Dame this Saturday, it faces its first true road test as well as its first ranked game of the season, as the Fighting Irish sit at No. 8 with the Aggies at No. 16.
“We look at this as an opportunity to go show what we’ve been doing these last nine months and to show the team that we are,
After a Notre Dame favored matchup in College Station last season, the Aggies head on their first road trip to try and force the Fighting Irish to start their season 0-2, and make it nearly impossible for them to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff race.