CJ Carr Knocks Off No. 1 Miami as Notre Dame Survives in South Bend

South Bend has waited six years for a night like this, and for about twenty minutes in the second half it looked like the night might slip away. Notre Dame built a 24–3 lead on No. 1 Miami, watched Darian Mensah drag the Hurricanes back into the game, and then survived the two possessions everybody in Notre Dame Stadium will be arguing about all week — a disputed fourth-down call in the end zone, and a hook-and-ladder with the season’s shape on the line. Final: Notre Dame 31, Miami 24, and the fans poured onto the field.

The Short Version

• Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31–24 at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night, the Irish’s first win over a top-ranked team since Clemson in 2020.
• CJ Carr finished 29-of-40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions — his fifth straight game without a pick.
• Miami trailed 24–3 in the third quarter, then scored three second-half touchdowns behind Heisman favorite Darian Mensah to make it a one-score game.
• A fourth-down end-zone catch by Elija Lofton was ruled incomplete and upheld on review with under four minutes left; both teams leave 8–1.

24–3, and in control

The Irish set the terms early. A field goal opened the scoring, and Carr’s first touchdown was the prettiest throw of the night — a 27-yard back-shoulder ball that Jordan Faison toe-tapped inside the boundary early in the second quarter for a 10–0 lead. Miami answered with a field goal, and that was all the Hurricanes managed for a half: 17–3 at the break, closed out by Carr’s 18-yard touchdown to Micah Gilbert with 29 seconds left in the second quarter.

The third quarter opened like the game was over. Faison’s 56-yard punt return handed Carr a short field, and three plays later Carr found Gilbert again, this time for 20 yards and a 24–3 lead. Gilbert finished with nine catches for 98 yards and the two touchdowns. Faison caught six for 77 yards and the toe-tap score. At that point, the No. 1 team in the country had three points and a problem.

Carr outdueled the Heisman favorite

This was billed as Mensah’s stage. The Miami quarterback arrived as the Heisman Trophy favorite, leading the nation’s top-ranked team, and he played the second half like it — all three of his touchdown passes came after halftime as Miami scored 14 in the third quarter and turned a rout into a game. But the full line tells the night’s story: Mensah finished 24-of-43 for 276 yards with three touchdowns and an interception — only his second pick of the season.

Carr was cleaner, and he was cleaner all night. Twenty-nine of 40, 319 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions — his fifth straight game without throwing one. Miami was missing its star wideout, Malachi Toney, who is out after ankle surgery, and Mensah leaned on what he had: Cooper Barkate caught 10 passes for 92 yards, and tight end Elija Lofton caught seven for 113. It was nearly enough. Nearly is the whole story of Miami’s night.

The drive, and then the call

Notre Dame’s answer, when it had to come, ran through Nolan James Jr. His touchdown run finished a clutch early-fourth-quarter drive and restored the two-score cushion at 31–17; James carried 16 times for 52 yards on the night. Miami scored once more to make it 31–24, and then came the play the game will be remembered for.

Fourth-and-6 from the Notre Dame 18, under four minutes left. Mensah went to Lofton in the end zone, and Lofton came down with the ball and two feet in — appearing, for one loud second, to have tied the game. Officials ruled he did not control the ball. The review upheld it. Turnover on downs. Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said afterward he was “beyond upset” the play was ruled incomplete — and then put the loss where he said it belonged: “Don’t leave it in the hands of the officials. Play better. Coach better. Find a way to win.”

Miami got one more chance, taking over with 57 seconds left, and the hook-and-ladder that followed fell short. The Notre Dame crowd did the rest, storming the field as the clock emptied.

What it costs, what it buys

Both teams are 8–1, and the symmetry ends there. Notre Dame came in No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings — No. 4 in the AP poll — and a second loss would likely have kept the Irish out of the playoff for a second straight year, after last season’s loss to Miami kept them out on a head-to-head tiebreaker. Instead, the Irish have the signature win their résumé was missing, and their first victory over a No. 1 team since the 47–40 double-overtime win over Clemson — six years to the day. “I’m happy for this university,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “I’m happy for our players… this is a special moment for them. When it mattered the most, we executed… they battled through it and executed when it mattered most.”

For Miami, a first loss, and a familiar address for it: the Hurricanes have now lost 10 of their 11 trips to South Bend and have not won there in 42 years. Their defeat leaves Utah and UCLA as the last unbeaten teams in the country — Utah stayed perfect Saturday in its own top-10 fight, a 28–20 Holy War win over BYU that also ended with fans on the field.

Full linescore and play-by-play: Game Center — Miami at Notre Dame. More from a wild Saturday: Oregon scored 38 straight and buried Ohio State in the Horseshoe · College Football hub · Stats Hub