Notre Dame hands No. 1 Miami its first loss of the season
By Mark Kern
Published:
Notre Dame had only one loss this season entering the game against No. 1 Miami, but the Fighting Irish were facing a must-win game when it comes to the College Football Playoff race.
Notre Dame’s schedule features only two games against ranked teams and had already lost to BYU entering Saturday’s showdown with UM. Add the fact that the Hurricanes were the team that kept the Fighting Irish out of the the CFP last season, and Marcus Freeman’s group entered the game determined to win. The Irish came through to keep their 2026 Playoff hopes alive, as they were able to get the 31-24 victory on Saturday night.
It was a battle of two of the top quarterbacks in the country, and CJ Carr came out the victor. He finished the game 29 of 40 for 313 yards and three touchdowns. The game looked like it was over early in the third quarter, as Carr connected with Micah Gilbert to give Notre Dame a 24-3 lead.
However, despite not having his superstar receiver Malachi Toney, Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah showed why he is battling for the Heisman Trophy as he got Miami back in the game. Mensah finished the game with 276 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw his second interception of the season. The Hurricanes were able to cut the deficit to seven points multiple times, but couldn’t get any closer.
While the Hurricanes came up short in South Bend, they are still in a great position to make it to the CFP. All three of their remaining games are at home, and none of the teams are currently ranked. When they have Toney, they are a different team, but they still showed on Saturday night that they can play with anybody.
