Notre Dame put itself on an attractive path to the College Football Playoff thanks to a thrilling win over Texas A&M. It’s early, to be sure, but the Fighting Irish defeated one of the toughest opponents on their schedule.

In a truly stunning result, NIU pulled off a 16-14 upset thanks to stingy defense and Kanon Woodill’s decisive kick.

Notre Dame didn’t move the ball particularly well at A&M, but that can be attributed to the Aggies’ solid defense, right? That notion, while reasonable at the time, has become a major concern. On Saturday, the offense was consistently stuck on the edges of the scoring zone.