SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After all of the wild, back-and-forth blows Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium — from the first-quarter Irish blocked-punt-return touchdown to their botched extra point minutes earlier — it came down to this.

Texas A&M had fourth-and-goal from the 11-yard line with 19 seconds to play. Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher ran a wheel route and turned his body in front of Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen. Quarterback Marcel Reed pumped once and let the football fly.

Boerkircher tumbled into the end zone as he caught the pass, and with the extra point, the No. 16 Aggies pulled off a 41-40 victory. The riveting finish left the Texas A&M players and the large contingent of fans swaying together in celebration after the game.

It left the No. 8 Irish wondering where they go from here.

After finishing as the national runner-up last season, Notre Dame is 0-2 to start 2025 following a 27-24, Week 1 loss at now-No. 5 Miami and the one-point loss Saturday. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman acknowledged the murky view of his team’s path toward a College Football Playoff berth given the two losses, even if they were to ranked teams.

“The future is uncertain,” Freeman said. “I don’t know what’s the playoff number. It doesn’t matter. We need to focus on getting better and getting ready for next week.”

A red marker rested between Freeman’s fingers as he opened his postgame news conference by asserting that the loss didn’t fall on one play.

This test will have red ink all over it.

Yes, Bowen’s defense on the final play will get a mark. So will Tyler Buchner’s dropped hold on an extra-point attempt with 2 minutes, 53 seconds to play, leaving the Notre Dame lead at 40-34. And then there’s the eight Texas A&M passing plays of 15 or more yards, including an 86-yard touchdown from Reed to Mario Craver in the first quarter.

“We just didn’t get it done,” cornerback Leonard Moore said. “We didn’t execute our responsibilities. … We take accountability for that.”

For all of the mystery that surrounded Notre Dame first-year starting quarterback CJ Carr entering this season, he was relatively steady in his second start, throwing for 293 yards with a touchdown and an interception on a tipped ball.

After two weeks of conversation about needing to rely on the running game more following the loss to Miami, the tandem of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combined for 35 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Instead it was the defense, under new coordinator Chris Ash, that left Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night with the biggest questions through two games.

The Aggies racked up 488 yards of offense, including 360 passing yards on 17 completions by Reed. Craver had 207 receiving yards. Notre Dame didn’t sack Reed. And a defense that led the nation in takeaways last year had just one — a Moore interception.

“Not good enough in the run and pass (defense), not good enough getting pressure on the quarterback,” Freeman said. “We had some unexpected injuries, but it doesn’t matter who’s on the field. If you’re on the field, we’ve got to put you in position to make plays.”

Notre Dame played the fourth quarter without safety Adon Shuler, who was called for targeting for a hit against Reed.

Texas A&M also took advantage of another brief absence.

Moore rolled his ankle when a teammate tripped him up in the second quarter. Texas A&M immediately went after the Irish secondary with Reed’s 45-yard pass to KC Concepcion against cornerback Mark Zackery IV to the 1-yard line. Le’Veon Moss scored one of his three touchdowns on the next play.

“(Zackery) has got to learn,” Freeman said. “We’ve got you out there for a reason. Go out there again, and if they throw a double move on you, go make the play. You’ve got to learn sometimes by losing.”

It was hardly the only big play the defense gave up.

Early in the first quarter, Craver blew by Notre Dame safety Jalen Stroman, caught a short pass from Reed and broke free for an 86-yard touchdown. Stroman and cornerback Christian Gray had Craver within their grasp, but he spun away from the tackle attempts.

Despite the defensive mistakes, the Irish had several big moments of their own, including their special teams giving Carr a 7-0 lead before he even took a snap.

Defensive lineman Loghan Thomas charged forward untouched to block Tyler White’s first punt, and Tae Johnson was there to grab it off the bounce. Johnson returned it 20 yards for a touchdown with 13:06 to play in the first quarter.

Love had a sensational one-handed grab that he turned into a 36-yard touchdown in the second quarter. And he gave Notre Dame the lead with 2:53 to play on a 12-yard touchdown run.

But the game spiraled from there. The football fell out of Buchner’s hands on the extra-point attempt, and his try at a recovery with a 2-point conversion throw fell short, setting up the nail-biting final sequence.

Now the Irish must reset with the knowledge that a trip back to the playoff isn’t entirely in their hands, even if they win their next 10 games.

“It hurts,” Love said. “Who wants to start a season off 0-2? Nobody does, whether you went to the national championship last year or not. … My mindset, I’m going to get back to work. I want to get back to work right now.”

Scary moment for Texas A&M safety

The game included a scary moment in the final minute of the first half. Texas A&M safety Bryce Anderson collided with Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon and lay motionless face down on the field.

Medical staff took several minutes to get Anderson on a stretcher. The entire Texas A&M sideline at one point huddled together in front of a quiet stadium.

Anderson gave a thumbs up as he was carted off. He was taken to a nearby hospital, and Notre Dame later announced he had feeling in all of his extremities.

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