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11/07 23:27 CST No. 4 Notre Dame takes big lead, then holds off No. 1 Miami
31-24 in a classic
No. 4 Notre Dame takes big lead, then holds off No. 1 Miami 31-24 in a classic
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
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.
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."
The takeaway 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 Pawlus 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. No. 1 things 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. Up next Miami: Hosts Duke next Saturday. Notre Dame: Hosts Boston College next Saturday. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here |
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