SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Marcus Freeman didn't deny the obvious. Even for a storied program like Notre Dame, beating Miami had enormous significance.
If that wasn't enough, it kept Notre Dame's national title hopes alive as well.
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CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 4 Notre Dame avenged its most damaging loss from last season by running out to a 21-point lead and holding on to beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night.
Micah Gilbert caught two of Carr's scoring passes, Jordan Faison had the other and Nolan James Jr. had a rushing score for Notre Dame (8-1, No. 11 College Football Playoff), which came into the game knowing another loss to Miami could doom its CFP chances.
“It’s a special moment,” said Freeman, Notre Dame's coach. “Enjoy the moment, because tomorrow when you wake up it’s time to get ready for the next one. I know it’s a big one. This is big. This is special. I’m not going to sit here and say this was like the other ones. No, this is different.”
The Hurricanes (8-1, No. 1 CFP) started slowly on offense in their first game without injured wide receiver and Heisman Trophy hopeful Malachi Toney — and Notre Dame, which lost to Miami 27-24 last season in a game that ultimately kept the Irish out of the playoff, never trailed.
“Our backs were against the wall,” said Irish defensive back Luke Talich, who had an interception and a critical — and disputed — pass breakup to help seal the win.
Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes for Miami, twice getting the Hurricanes within a touchdown after they trailed 24-3 early in the third. Cooper Barkate had a pair of those scoring grabs, and Elija Lofton had the other.
“Proud of the guys, the way we fought back,” Mensah said. “Obviously, it wasn't enough.”
Lofton nearly had a touchdown catch that would have made it 31-30 — the score of the Miami-Notre Dame game in 1988 — with 3:36 left, appearing to make a fourth-down grab in the end zone and getting his feet down.
But Notre Dame's Luke Talich — who had an interception in the third quarter — knocked the ball away, with officials ruling that Lofton didn't complete the grab. Notre Dame took over on downs, ran the clock down to about a minute and held on from there.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal said he was “beyond upset” that Lofton's play wasn't ruled a score.
“Obviously, a tough loss to take,” Cristobal said. “Proud of our players for the resilience. ... Don't leave it in the hands of the officials. Play better. Coach better. Find a way to win.”
With Miami falling, only two unbeaten teams remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision — Utah and UCLA, which both moved to 9-0 on Saturday. This is the first time since 2003 that only two teams made it through the first nine games unbeaten; TCU and Oklahoma did it that year.
On a night when 43 NFL scouts were part of a jam-packed crowd at Notre Dame Stadium, where it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff and fell into the mid-30s as the night went along, the Irish stayed true to their mantra for 2026 — one born from the frustration from not making 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.
“As good a win as I’ve ever been a part of,” Freeman said. “As special of a moment, as special of an outcome that I’ve been a part of since I’ve been the head coach here.”
Miami: Miami had first-and-goal from the Notre Dame 1 in the second quarter and wound up settling for a field goal, after three runs — one by Fletcher and two keepers by Mensah — went nowhere. The Hurricanes wound up trailing 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: The Irish pulled out all the stops, with a slew of former stars — Joe Montana, Jerome Bettis Sr., Tony Rice, Chris Zorich, Ricky Watters, Ron Powlus and NBA President of Basketball Operations Byron Spruell among them — for on-field tributes. Also honored was Pat Murphy, the manager of the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers, 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 where the Tigers were without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Miami: Hosts Duke next Saturday.
Notre Dame: Hosts Boston College next Saturday.
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