Miami Gardens, FL. – From the beginning to the end, the stadium resonates with enthusiastic applause and energy.
Before a sold-out crowd of 66,793 fans dressed in orange at Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Hurricanes secured a 27-24 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday night. The team’s impressive performance delivered a strong message, inspiring pride among the Hurricanes’ legendary sideline.
The No. 10 ranked Miami team improved to 1-0, while the sixth-ranked Irish opened their season at 0-1. This win marks Miami’s highest-ranked victory since their 2017 win against Notre Dame at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes have now won seven consecutive home games against Notre Dame, with the last loss dating back to 1977.
Carter Davis successfully made two field goals, including a 47-yard attempt with 1:04 remaining, which broke a 24-24 tie. Miami’s defense maintained pressure, sacking Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr on the final two plays of the game.
Quarterback Carson Beck completed 20 of 31 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns in his debut for Miami. Running back Mark Fletcher rushed for 64 yards, while teammate Marty Brown added 54 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Malachi Toney led the team with six receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. CJ Daniels also contributed five catches for 46 yards, including an acrobatic touchdown reception that will be remembered for years to come.
“This game, this victory is for everybody. It’s for our university, our players, our students, alumni, former players,” Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Coach Johnson, got to see him earlier. I don’t know where to start, but tremendously proud of this team. The resiliency, complimentary football overcoming a couple of hiccups and whatnot.”
Miami’s defense forced two turnovers, recorded three sacks, and held Notre Dame’s prominent rushing offense to just 93 yards on 28 carries. Defensive end Reuben Bain Jr. posted six tackles and his first career interception, while Akheem Mesidor contributed five tackles and 1.5 sacks. Linebacker Raul Aguirre also made six tackles.
Carr completed 221 passing yards, threw for two touchdowns, and added another on the ground. Tight end Eli Raridon led the Irish with five catches for 97 yards, while wide receiver Jordan Faison had five receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown. Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combined for 78 rushing yards.
Miami totaled 324 yards of offense, just 10 more than Notre Dame. However, the Hurricanes controlled the ball for over 34 minutes, including two scoring drives at the end of the first half and the start of the second, which together accounted for nearly 13 minutes of possession.
The Irish started with the opening kickoff and moved to Miami’s 42-yard line before the Canes’ defense forced a punt. James Rendell pinned Miami at its five-yard line, but Beck connected with wide receiver Keelan Marion across the middle for a 14-yard gain, providing some breathing room. The drive stalled at the Miami 42, and Notre Dame regained possession at their 22.
On the next play, Carr completed a short pass to wide receiver Malachi Fields, but defensive tackle Justin Scott forced a fumble, which safety Jakobe Thomas recovered at the 24-yard line. Three plays later, Miami faced a 4th-and-1, and Fletcher gained three yards to keep the drive alive.
Notre Dame’s defense responded with a stop, forcing a 28-yard field goal attempt by Davis. However, a bad snap nullified the attempt, and the Irish took over at their 20. Defensive tackle David Blay stopped Carr on a quarterback sneak to force a three-and-out, giving the ball back to Miami at their 30.
Fletcher broke a 15-yard run before Beck completed consecutive passes to Toney, reaching the Irish 28. After three more plays, it was third and ten. Beck rolled left and threw an accurate pass to the freshman wide receiver, who made a leaping catch in the end zone to give Miami a 7-0 lead. Toney finished the drive with 52 yards on three catches—the first three catches of his career.
Both defenses exchanged three-and-outs until Notre Dame put together its most productive drive of the first half. Price rushed for 49 yards, including a 30-yard run that set up first and goal at the three-yard line. Three plays later, Carr evaded pressure, rolled left, and found wide receiver Micah Gilbert in the end zone. Carr’s first career touchdown pass tied the game at 7-7 with 5:21 remaining in the first half.
Miami responded with a quick scoring drive. Beck completed four consecutive passes for 33 yards, advancing to the Notre Dame 20 with 17 seconds left. Beck then looked for Daniels, who made an exceptional one-handed catch in the end zone. The Hurricanes took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
To start the second half, Miami received the ball. Beck converted a third-and-eight with a 15-yard pass to tight end Elijah Lofton, followed by Fletcher rushing for 20 yards on consecutive carries to reach the Irish 30. Beck then converted another third-and-eight with a 16-yard crossing route to Toney, setting up first and goal at the nine-yard line.
Brown handled the remaining efforts, rushing for four yards on one play and then advancing Notre Dame’s defense into the end zone from five yards out on the subsequent play. The 12-play, 75-yard drive consumed 7 minutes and 37 seconds of game time, giving Miami a two-touchdown lead.
Miami’s defense forced three consecutive incomplete passes, but Notre Dame responded with a three-and-out of their own. Moving into Miami territory, Carr completed his longest pass of the night—a 26-yard completion to wide receiver Malachi Fields down to the Miami 14-yard line. Six plays later, Carr threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Faison, bringing the Irish within one score early in the fourth quarter.
“When you look at the two turnovers, Malachi has to have better ball security and can’t let that tipped ball happen,” Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said. “It’s almost like we didn’t want JG to tip it again when he was trying to be a football player, because it got popped in there, and they obviously got the interception. We have got to create more takeaways on defense. We pride ourselves in being able to create takeaways and creating takeaways, we have got to be intentional about it.”
Notre Dame’s defense again forced a three-and-out, with a sack of Beck on third down. However, two plays later, cornerback Damari Brown broke up a pass, causing the ball to deflect into the air. Bain intercepted it and returned his first career pick 15 yards to the Irish 28-yard line. Davis then converted the turnover into points with a 38-yard field goal, increasing Miami’s lead to 10 points.
The Irish advanced to the University of Miami 21-yard line, but defensive tackle Ahmad Moten broke through to sack Carr, who was then penalized for intentional grounding, moving the ball back to the 32-yard line. Notre Dame settled for a 39-yard field goal from Noah Burnette, reducing Miami’s lead to seven with 5:32 remaining.
The Hurricanes punted again 49 seconds later. On the next Irish offensive play, Carr found Raridon wide open down the left sideline for a 65-yard gain to the Miami 10-yard line. Carr then scrambled into the end zone from seven yards out, tying the game.
Brown recorded a first down, and Beck threw a deep pass to Marion. However, cornerback Christian Gray was flagged for pass interference, advancing the ball to the Irish 47-yard line.
Brown carried the ball five consecutive times, gaining 18 yards and bringing Miami closer to field goal range. The Irish used all three of their remaining timeouts. Davis then successfully kicked a 47-yard field goal, giving Miami the lead with 1:04 remaining.
Carr completed a 12-yard pass to Raridon, but on the subsequent play, Bain and Mesidor sacked him in the backfield. Carr was called for intentional grounding for the second time, moving the ball back to the 30-yard line and causing a 10-second runoff. Bain and Mesidor combined for the final sack of the game on the last play.
Miami returns home Saturday to host Bethune-Cookman. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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