Notre Dame beats No. 1 Miami 31-24 to keep CFP hopes alive

Notre Dame fans at the stadium on Saturday night watched their team secure a 31-24 victory over the No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes. The win avenges the Irish's most damaging loss from the previous season. Notre Dame improved its record to 8-1 and secured a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Quarterback CJ Carr led the offense for Notre Dame. He completed passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Micah Gilbert caught two of those scoring passes. Jordan Faison caught the third touchdown pass. Nolan James Jr. added a rushing score to extend the lead.

The Hurricanes started slowly on offense. They played their first game without wide receiver Malachi Toney, who is injured. Toney is a Heisman Trophy contender. Miami trailed 24-3 early in the third quarter. The Irish never trailed during the entire contest.

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes. He twice brought the Hurricanes within one score. Cooper Barkate caught two of those touchdowns. Elija Lofton caught the third. With 3:36 left, Lofton made a catch in the end zone on fourth down. Officials reviewed the play.

Notre Dame defensive back Luke Talich knocked the ball away. Officials ruled that Lofton had not completed the catch. The score remained 31-24. Notre Dame took over on downs and ran the clock down to one minute. The Irish held on for the win.

Miami's loss leaves only two unbeaten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Utah and UCLA both won on Saturday to reach 9-0. This is the first time since 2003 that only two teams went through nine games without a loss. TCU and Oklahoma held that distinction in 2003.

The game took place in 40-degree weather at Notre Dame Stadium. The temperature dropped into the mid-30s as the night progressed. Forty-three NFL scouts attended the game. The stadium crowd was full. Notre Dame honored former players and coaches during pregame ceremonies.

Miami had a chance to score a touchdown in the second quarter. They started a drive at the Notre Dame one-yard line. The team ran three times but gained no ground. They settled for a field goal. Miami trailed 17-3 at the half. The Hurricanes had scored at least 14 points and averaged 27 first-half points in their first eight games this season.

Miami now has a record of 44-7 when playing as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25. The Hurricanes are 0-2 against Notre Dame. The 1988 game between these teams ended 31-30. Notre Dame improved its record against No. 1 teams to 10-17-1. The last time the Irish beat a top-ranked opponent was on Nov. 7, 2020, against Clemson.