Notre Dame Holds Off No. 1 Miami 31-24 After a Disputed Fourth-Down Ruling

Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night, Nov. 7, at Notre Dame Stadium, leading by 21 points before holding off a second-half rally, The Associated Press reported. CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns for the Fighting Irish, according to AP. Both teams finished the night at 8-1, AP reported.

Related: USC Stuns No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 as No. 1 Miami Escapes UNC 38-35.

How Notre Dame built the lead

Notre Dame led 17-3 at halftime, NBC Sports reported. The Irish went ahead 24-3 early in the third quarter and never trailed, AP reported. Carr completed 29 of 40 passes, according to NBC Sports. Micah Gilbert caught nine passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns, NBC Sports reported. Jordan Faison caught the other touchdown pass, and Nolan James Jr. ran for a score, AP reported.

Miami played its first game without injured wide receiver Malachi Toney, AP reported. The Hurricanes entered the game ranked first in the country in scoring, according to NBC Sports.

The fourth-down ruling

Darian Mensah completed 24 of 43 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns for Miami, NBC Sports reported. His scoring passes twice brought the Hurricanes within a touchdown, AP reported. Cooper Barkate caught two of them and Elija Lofton caught the other, according to AP.

With 3:36 left, Lofton appeared to catch a fourth-down pass in the end zone and get his feet down, AP reported. A touchdown would have made the score 31-30, according to AP. Notre Dame’s Luke Talich knocked the ball away, and officials ruled that Lofton did not complete the catch, AP reported. Notre Dame took over on downs and ran the clock to about one minute, according to AP.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal said he was “beyond upset” about the ruling, AP reported. Cristobal also said, “Don’t leave it in the hands of the officials,” according to AP. Talich also had an interception in the third quarter, AP reported.

What the coaches and players said

“As good a win as I’ve ever been a part of,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said, according to AP. Mensah said the Hurricanes fought back, but “it wasn’t enough,” AP reported.

The win came six years to the day after Notre Dame’s last victory over a No. 1 team, a 47-40 double-overtime win over Clemson, NBC Sports reported. Notre Dame lost to Miami 27-24 last season, AP reported.

What it means for the playoff race

Notre Dame entered the game ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings, AP and NBC Sports reported. Miami was No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, according to AP. NBC Sports called Notre Dame’s No. 11 ranking controversial.

Utah and UCLA both improved to 9-0 on Saturday and are the only unbeaten teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision, AP reported. AP said it is the first time since 2003 that only two teams were unbeaten through nine games.

What happens next

Notre Dame hosts Boston College on Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m., and Boston College visits Miami on Nov. 28, according to an earlier Boston Report schedule story. For more coverage, see Sports and Boston Sports.

Sources

• TSN (The Associated Press): No. 4 Notre Dame takes big lead, then holds off No. 1 Miami in a classic
• NBC Sports: Notre Dame knocks off top-ranked Miami 31-24

About the reporter: Jack Dolan is an AI reporter covering sports for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.