THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 | VOL. LX, NO. 9
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Notre Dame loses to Texas A&M in heartbreaker Chris Dailey Sports Writer
There are moments in football that define a season. It felt as if in No. 8 Notre Dame’s heart-wrenching 41-40 defeat to No. 16 Texas A&M, those moments came aplenty. From a failed 4th-and-1 attempt at their own 48 to a PAT mishap late in the game, small errors from the Irish proved pivotal as Notre Dame’s hopes for the College Football Playoff have greatly diminished. As fireworks ignited the sky while Notre Dame took the field, gold rally towels waved in the air, painting Notre Dame Stadium in a tantalizing mix of red, white, blue and gold. The sparks weren’t done there, however. Texas A&M was forced to punt from their own 36 after going three-and-out on the game’s opening drive. Notre Dame seized the opportunity, with sophomore defensive lineman Loghan Thomas blocking the punt thanks to an open lane. The speedy freshman safety Tae Johnson then scooped the ball up and
INDIA DOERR and GABRIELLA MARTIN | The Observer
On Saturday evening at Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish football went against the Texas A&M Aggies and lost with a score of 40-41. CJ Carr made his second start with the Irish and performed
Barrett returns to Notre Dame, discusses book and orginalism By Liam Kelly On Friday afternoon, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett returned to her alma mater, speaking at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, as part of a media tour promoting her new book “Listening to the Law.” During the roughly 45 minute long discussion, moderated by professor Vincent Philip Muñoz, the director of the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, Barrett discussed her faith, her life on the Supreme Court, the judicial doctrine of originalism and her time at Notre Dame Law School, where she earned her J.D. in 1997. The event began on a somber note with remarks by University President Fr. Robert Dowd noting the recent assassination of conservative political activist and organizer Charlie Kirk, as well as recent mass shootings
at schools in Minnesota and Colorado. Dowd led a prayer, urging the audience and the country to engage in dialogue across differences. “We’re all shocked and dismayed by this terrible violence and it’s good for us as members of the Notre Dame community to come together and rededicate ourselves to respect and dialogue across differences, and to rededicate ourselves to being peacemakers and peace builders,” Dowd said. Following Dowd’s invocation, Muñoz spoke, also mentioning Kirk’s assassination and arguing that, in light of the tragedy, the event was all the more important. “We had to host this event today because our democracy, our ability to govern ourselves as Americans … will perish if violence silences us,” Muñoz said. Muñoz began the discussion by asking Barrett her thoughts on the state of the country in
NEWS | PAGE 4
OPINION | PAGE 5
Saint Mary’s students in STEM fields presented summer projects and experiences.
Columnist Zora Rogers shares insight into Charlie Kirk’s views on Black women.
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Kirk was wrong
light of recent events. Barrett denounced political violence as a “grotesque symptom” of the state of a “poisonous” political discourse in America and stressed the need to disagree civilly. “I think it’s important … that we learn to have disagreements in a civil and collegial way, and [at] Notre Dame, that is, as Fr. Bob said, in the DNA here,” Barrett said. Barrett recounted her decision to accept President Donald Trump’s nomination to the Supreme Court in 2020. Barrett was a federal judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago and still taught classes at Notre Dame Law School at the time. While honored by the nomination, she said she hesitated, realizing the impact the decision would have on her family, especially her seven children. She recalled
delivered a house call. That play set the precedent for the whirlwind of a first half that was to come for both teams. Following the hectic opening touchdown, both teams went three-and-out. The game did not f lash its firepower again until the Aggies’ third drive of the game. Backed up on his own 14-yard line, quarterback Marcel Reed found star wide receiver Mario Craver wide open in the left-side f lat. When Craver approached midfield, Notre Dame senior safety Jalen Stroman attempted to make a tackle, as did junior cornerback Christian Gray. Neither were successful in their pursuit, as Craver fended them off en route to an 86-yard touchdown. The Irish responded immediately. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock silenced critics by busting out a clever f lea f licker. Carr initially pitched the ball to junior running back Jeremiyah Love, who then tossed the rock to junior wide see “Texas A&M” on page 8
Shooting reported on Eddy Street Observer Staff Report Around 10 p.m. on Saturday evening, shots were fired near Brothers Bar and Grill at Eddy Street Commons, according to a press release issued by the South Bend Police Department (SBPD) early Sunday morning. During the incident, several officers “were attempting to help disperse large crowds in Eddy Street Commons when they heard gunfire in the area,” according to the press release. Multiple SBPD officers remained on the scene to investigate and check for possible victims. No one was injured, but police shared that five vehicles and two apartments were damaged. The shooting took place during the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M
football game, where thousands of fans gathered in the Notre Dame Stadium. University officials and the Notre Dame Police Department did not issue a warning or comment on the situation. “We defer to SBPD on this incident,” Erin Blasko, associate director of the Office of Media Relations, wrote. Police initially detained two individuals but later released them, SBPD shared in the press release. The South Bend Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit continues to investigate the incident. The police ask that anyone with information about the incident report it anonymously through Michiana Crime Stoppers by calling 574-288-STOP or visiting their website.
SCENE | PAGE 7
SPORTS | PAGE 10
SPORTS | PAGE 10
The film was underwhelming, with bad acting that doesn’t properly reflect atrocities.
The Irish picked up a 2-0 ranked win on the road against Pitt in second ACC match.
The Fighting Irish finds success with a 3-0 victory against Colorado State.
see “Lecture” on page 2
Meeting with Pol Pot
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