College Football8 Nov 20262 minute read

Notre Dame Tops Miami 31-24 to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

Notre Dame built a big lead and held off a late Miami comeback to defeat the top ranked Hurricanes 31-24 in South Bend.

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Irish build early lead against top ranked Miami

Notre Dame jumped out to a 21 point lead on Saturday night and held on to beat No. 1 Miami 31-24. The victory allowed the 11th ranked Fighting Irish to avenge a 27-24 loss to Miami last season that kept them out of the playoff.

CJ Carr led the offense with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns for Notre Dame, now 8-1 on the season. Micah Gilbert caught two touchdown passes, Jordan Faison caught one, and Nolan James Jr. added a rushing touchdown.

Miami rallies late despite key absence

Playing without injured receiver and Heisman Trophy hopeful Malachi Toney, Miami fell behind 24-3 early in the third quarter. Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes to bring the Hurricanes back within a touchdown twice. Cooper Barkate caught two of those scoring passes, and Elija Lofton had the other.

Miami almost pulled closer with 3:36 left in the game. Lofton appeared to catch a fourth down pass in the end zone, but Notre Dame defender Luke Talich knocked the ball away. Officials ruled that Lofton did not complete the catch, allowing Notre Dame to take over on downs and run the clock down to about a minute. Talich also had an interception in the third quarter.

Playoff picture shifts after South Bend battle

The game drew 43 NFL scouts to a jampacked Notre Dame Stadium, where kickoff temperatures were 40 degrees Fahrenheit and fell into the mid 30s. With Miami falling to 8-1, only two undefeated teams remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Utah and UCLA both reached 9-0 with victories on Saturday.

This is the first time since 2003 that only two teams reached nine games without a loss. TCU and Oklahoma were the only unbeatens at that point in 2003.

What it means for the next game

Duke Blue Devils at Miami Hurricanes (College Football, Sat, 14 Nov): Miami Hurricanes win 83%, Duke Blue Devils win 17%; projected score Miami Hurricanes 35, Duke Blue Devils 20. Our safest pick: Miami to win.

Boston College Eagles at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (College Football, Sat, 14 Nov): Notre Dame Fighting Irish win 97%, Boston College Eagles win 3%; projected score Notre Dame Fighting Irish 42, Boston College Eagles 11. Our safest pick: Boston College +41.5.