nypost
CJ Carr passed for 319 yards and three touchdowns as No. 4 Notre Dame built a 21-point lead and then held off No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night, avenging its most damaging loss from the previous season.
Micah Gilbert caught two of Carr's scoring passes, Jordan Faison hauled in the other, and Nolan James Jr. added a rushing touchdown for the Irish (8-1, No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings). Notre Dame entered the game knowing that another loss to Miami could derail its national championship aspirations.
Those concerns proved unfounded. The Hurricanes (8-1, No. 1 CFP) struggled offensively in their first game without injured wide receiver and Heisman Trophy candidate Malachi Toney, and the Irish never trailed. Notre Dame had lost to Miami 27-24 last season in a game that ultimately kept the Irish out of the playoff.
Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes for Miami, twice bringing the Hurricanes within a touchdown after they fell behind 24-3 early in the third quarter. Cooper Barkate caught two of those scoring grabs, and Elija Lofton had the other. Lofton nearly came up with a touchdown catch that would have made it 31-30—the same score as the 1988 Miami-Notre Dame game—with 3:36 left, appearing to make a fourth-down grab in the end zone and get his feet down. But Notre Dame's Luke Talich, who had intercepted a pass in the third quarter, knocked the ball away, and officials ruled that Lofton hadn't completed the catch. The Irish took over on downs, ran the clock down to about a minute and held on from there.
With Miami's defeat, only two unbeaten teams remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision: Utah and UCLA, both of which improved to 9-0 with wins on Saturday. It marks the first time since 2003 that only two teams have made it through the first nine games unbeaten; TCU and Oklahoma accomplished the feat that year.
On a night when 43 NFL scouts were part of a packed crowd at Notre Dame Stadium, where the temperature was 40 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff and dropped into the mid-30s as the game progressed, the Irish stayed true to their 2026 mantra—one born from the frustration of missing the CFP field a year ago. They left no doubt. It got a little shaky at the end, but the Irish's CFP hopes are very much alive.
Key Analysis
Miami had a first-and-goal from the Notre Dame 1-yard line in the second quarter but settled for a field goal after three runs—one by Fletcher and two keepers by Mensah—went nowhere. The Hurricanes trailed 17-3 at halftime after scoring at least 14 points and averaging 27 first-half points in their first eight contests this season. Notre Dame pulled out all the stops, honoring a slew of former stars, including Joe Montana, Jerome Bettis Sr., Tony Rice, Chris Zorich, Ricky Watters, Ron Pawlus and NBA President of Basketball Operations Byron Spruell. Also honored was Pat Murphy, manager of the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers and someone who won 73% of his games when he coached at Notre Dame.
Miami fell to 44-7 when playing as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, including an 0-2 mark against Notre Dame after the top-ranked Hurricanes lost to the fourth-ranked Irish 31-30 in the Catholics vs. Convicts game in 1988. Notre Dame improved to 10-17-1 against No. 1 teams, getting its first win in exactly six years. It beat No. 1 Clemson at home on Nov. 7, 2020, a game in which the Tigers were without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Up next: Miami hosts Duke next Saturday, while Notre Dame hosts Boston College next Saturday.
Originally reported by nypost.