Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame & Texas A&M Fanbases: Hopeful Yet Uncertain for Upcoming Season

The Irish and Aggie faithful are fired up, but not totally confident, for the big Week 1 matchup.

John Kennedy

Sep 30, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans react to a running back Audric Estime (7) score to win the game during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans react to a running back Audric Estime (7) score to win the game during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
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Which team should have more confidence heading into the game?

Between writing, social media engagement, and the content I create on the Always Irish YouTube channel, I feel like I have a really strong pulse on how the Notre Dame fan base feels at any given time. That being said, the run-up to the season-opening matchup with Texas A&M has been very unique.

Notre Dame fans feel great about many, perhaps even most parts of their team. At the same time though, they feel serious doubt about the left side of the offensive line which plays into the Aggie's team strength. As for the Texas A&M side? They feel confident that under Mike Elko they are on the path to a healthier team culture off the field and better results on it long term, but should winning this game be the expectation on night 1 of Elko's tenure or is that too much to ask?

Fan engagement between Notre Dame & Texas A&M has reflected the uncertainty on both sides

Notre Dame is a school everyone wants to beat and beat badly. Especially for "big games," the social media interaction between fan bases typically gets hot, heavy, and intense. While there will always be outlying examples, overall the engagement I have seen for this game has been very civil. It feels like both sides respect the unknowns in this game and are in "wait-and-see mode" with their most incendiary commentaries.

Personally, it's been a joy interacting with the Aggie fans leading into this game.

Many have called my morning radio show with very fair comments regarding the game. Many others have contributed with very thoughtful chat comments and have even donated to the program.

They've been a classy group to interact with, and I sincerely respect that.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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John Kennedy

JOHN KENNEDY

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