No. 4 Notre Dame Holds Off No. 1 Miami 31–24, Knocking the Hurricanes From the Unbeaten Ranks

In a packed Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night, No. 4 Notre Dame built a 24–3 lead and then hung on to beat the nation’s top-ranked team, 31–24. The Associated Press billed the game as a classic. NBC Sports said the result puts the Fighting Irish firmly back in the College Football Playoff conversation after they avoided a second loss that would have likely kept them out of the field for a second straight year.

Editorial illustration of a nighttime college football stadium with a generic 31–24 scoreboard, anonymous distant player silhouettes and gold-and-orange lighting. No team logos or identifiable people. — Editorial illustration of a night college football stadium. No. 4 Notre Dame held off No. 1 Miami 31–24 in South Bend.

Both teams are now 8–1. Miami fell from the unbeaten ranks. Notre Dame, ranked fourth in the AP Top 25 but a controversial No. 11 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, should see that playoff number climb, NBC Sports reported.

How the Irish built a 24–3 lead

Notre Dame received the opening kickoff and moved into field-goal range, with Spencer Porath converting a 44-yard kick, according to the university’s official recap. The Irish then found the end zone when quarterback CJ Carr hit Jordan Faison for a 27-yard touchdown. Miami answered only with a short field goal after a Notre Dame goal-line stand stuffed the Hurricanes near the 1-yard line, making it 10–3 late in the first half.

Just before intermission, Carr found Micah Gilbert on an 18-yard slant to make it 17–3, the official recap said. After the break, Faison returned a punt 56 yards to the Miami 30, and Carr hit Gilbert again, this time from 20 yards, for a 24–3 lead. NBC Sports reported that Carr finished 29 of 40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Gilbert caught nine passes for 98 yards and two scores, and Faison added six catches for 77 yards.

Miami surges without Malachi Toney

The Hurricanes entered the game ranked No. 1 in scoring, NBC Sports reported, but looked out of sync in the first half without injured star wideout Malachi Toney, who is out after ankle surgery. Midway through the third quarter, Miami scored twice in about three minutes. Darian Mensah found tight end Elija Lofton for a 12-yard touchdown and later connected with Cooper Barkate, trimming the deficit.

A Luke Talich interception gave Notre Dame the ball back, and the Irish answered. Early in the fourth quarter, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock split Nolan James Jr. wide on fourth-and-2; Carr found him for a 36-yard gain to the Miami 7, and James capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, the official recap said. NBC Sports listed James with 52 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Mensah then hit Barkate again from a yard out, making it 31–24 with 9:53 remaining.

Mensah completed 24 of 43 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns but also threw only his second interception of the season, NBC Sports said. In Toney’s absence, Barkate finished with 10 catches for 92 yards and Lofton had seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown.

The catch that was ruled incomplete

The game tightened further when Miami drove into Notre Dame territory. NBC Sports reported that Lofton appeared to tie the score with 3:43 remaining on fourth-and-6 from the Irish 18, catching the ball with two feet down in the end zone. Officials ruled he did not maintain control. The call was upheld on video review. Notre Dame’s recap described safety Talich getting a hand in to break up the play; NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay explained on the broadcast why the pass was incomplete.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal later told reporters he was “beyond upset” at the ruling. “Obviously, a tough loss to take,” he said, according to NBC Sports. “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.”

Notre Dame then ran the clock behind James, punted Miami back to its 13-yard line and closed with a sack. A last-second hook-and-ladder was fumbled as time expired, the official recap said.

Why it matters

The loss drops Miami from the top of the AP poll as an unbeaten. NCAA.com noted that only Utah and UCLA were left without a defeat after Saturday’s games. For Notre Dame, the win was more than a signature résumé builder: NBC Sports said a second loss would have likely kept the Irish out of the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive year, despite their lofty AP ranking.

Irish coach Marcus Freeman told NBC Sports’ Kathryn Tappen the night was a “special moment” for Notre Dame Nation. “I’m so happy for our players, because they put a lot of work in to achieve this,” Freeman said. “They’re a dang good football team, and they beat a dang good football team.” He added that after the second half “got a little ugly,” the Irish “executed when it mattered most.”

NBC Sports noted the victory came six years to the day after Notre Dame’s most recent win over a No. 1 team — a 47–40 double-overtime home victory against Clemson — and improved the Irish to 19–9–1 in the series with Miami, including 10–1 at home. The Associated Press preview of the matchup had billed it as another chapter in a long rivalry; Saturday night delivered one that will follow both teams into the rest of the playoff race.