Notre Dame beat Miami 31-24 on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, knocking off the top-ranked Hurricanes behind three touchdown passes from quarterback CJ Carr. The win moved the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish to 8-1 on the season, matching Miami’s record after the loss.
Carr built a 24-3 lead and connected with tight end Micah Gilbert for two touchdown passes spanning the second and third quarters. Miami answered with three touchdown drives led by quarterback Darian Mensah, who threw for 276 yards and three scores, but the Hurricanes ran out of time.
How Notre Dame Built Its Lead
The Fighting Irish started fast and never trailed. Spencer Porath opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Carr found Jordan Faison for a 27-yard touchdown early in the second to make it 10-0. Miami’s Jake Weinberg cut the gap to 10-3 with a 19-yard field goal, but Carr answered before halftime with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Gilbert, sending Notre Dame into the break up 17-3.
Carr and Gilbert connected again to open the third quarter, a 20-yard score that pushed the lead to 24-3 with 12:05 left in the period. That is when Miami’s offense finally found its rhythm.
Miami’s Rally Falls Short
Mensah threw touchdown passes to Elija Lofton and Cooper Barkate in a span of three minutes late in the third quarter, cutting the Notre Dame lead to 24-17 entering the fourth. Notre Dame answered with a 1-yard touchdown run from Nolan James Jr. with 12:55 remaining, stretching the margin back to 14 points. Mensah found Barkate again, his third touchdown target of the day, to make it 31-24 with 9:53 left, but Miami could not complete the comeback. Notre Dame controlled the ball for 30:55 and finished the game without a turnover, while Miami lost two.
Top Performers
Carr finished 29 of 40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, the key statistical edge in a game where Notre Dame posted 412 total yards to Miami’s 377. Gilbert caught nine passes for 98 yards and both of his touchdowns, while Faison added six catches for 77 yards and a score. James Jr. led Notre Dame’s ground game with 52 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on 16 carries.
For Miami, Mensah completed 24 of 43 passes for 276 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, which was picked off by Notre Dame’s Luke Talich. Lofton caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, and Barkate hauled in three of Mensah’s touchdown throws for 92 yards on 10 receptions. Mark Fletcher Jr. led Miami on the ground with 57 yards on 13 carries but did not find the end zone.
What It Means
Notre Dame’s win drops Miami from the top ranking. Both teams finish at 8-1. The Hurricanes’ loss to Notre Dame marks their first defeat of the season. Notre Dame’s defense forced the turnover margin that proved decisive, finishing plus-two while Miami converted 6 of 14 third downs.
What’s Next
Miami faces its schedule after the Notre Dame loss. The Hurricanes’ recent wins included a 52-23 victory over Pitt.
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