Notre Dame Beats No. 1 Miami 31-24 as Disputed Fourth-Down Ruling Ends Hurricanes' Rally

CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Nov. 7, 2026, handing the Hurricanes their first loss after officials ruled a fourth-down pass to Elija Lofton in the end zone incomplete with 3:36 left. Miami coach Mario Cristobal criticized the call, while the AP poll released Sunday moved Notre Dame to No. 3 and dropped Miami to No. 5.

Nov 08, 2026 - 15:15

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Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night, Nov. 7, 2026, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, handing the Hurricanes their first loss of the season. Quarterback CJ Carr completed 29 of 40 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns, according to Notre Dame Athletics, and the Fighting Irish held on after Miami cut a 21-point deficit to seven.

Notre Dame entered the game ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings, according to The Associated Press. Both teams are now 8-1. The AP reported that the win avenged what it called Notre Dame’s most damaging loss of last season, and CBS Sports noted that last year’s 27-24 defeat to Miami ultimately kept the Irish out of the playoff.

How Notre Dame built its lead

Spencer Porath opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal on Notre Dame’s first drive, and Carr found Jordan Faison for a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter, according to the school’s game story. Miami reached first-and-goal at the Notre Dame 1 in the second quarter, but three runs went nowhere and the Hurricanes settled for a field goal, the AP reported.

Carr hit Micah Gilbert on an 18-yard touchdown pass with less than 30 seconds left in the half for a 17-3 lead, and the pair connected again from 20 yards early in the third quarter for a 24-3 advantage. Gilbert finished with nine catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. The AP reported that Miami had scored at least 14 first-half points in each of its first eight games, averaging 27, before being held to three on Saturday.

Miami’s second-half rally

Quarterback Darian Mensah threw all three of his touchdown passes after halftime, according to NCAA.com. He found tight end Elija Lofton for a 12-yard score and Cooper Barkate for two more, pulling Miami within a touchdown twice. The Miami Herald reported that Mensah completed 6 of 12 passes for 49 yards in the first half and finished 24 of 43 for 276 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Barkate had 10 catches for 92 yards, and Lofton had seven for 113.

Notre Dame’s decisive points came early in the fourth quarter. Facing fourth-and-2 at the Miami 43, Carr threw to running back Nolan James Jr., who gained 36 yards to the Miami 7, according to Notre Dame Athletics. A facemask penalty moved the ball to the 1, and James scored on the next play. Mensah’s second touchdown pass to Barkate made it 31-24 with 9:53 remaining. Miami was playing without wide receiver Malachi Toney, who the Herald reported underwent ankle surgery that will most likely sideline him for at least the rest of the regular season.

The disputed fourth-down play

With 3:36 left, Miami faced fourth-and-6 at the Notre Dame 18. Mensah threw to Lofton in the corner of the end zone, where Notre Dame safety Luke Talich, who had intercepted a pass earlier in the second half, knocked the ball loose. Officials ruled the pass incomplete, and the call stood after a brief replay review, according to CBS Sports and the Herald.

NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay supported the ruling on the broadcast, saying Lofton did not “have the ball long enough to perform an act common to the game,” according to Awful Announcing. Miami coach Mario Cristobal said he was disappointed the officials “negated Elija Lofton’s touchdown with two hands on the ball and two feet in bounds,” and the Herald reported he said he received no explanation for the call. CBS Sports reported that Cristobal later apologized for criticizing the officials, saying, “I need to be mature and professional about it.”

“You can’t leave it up to one play,” Mensah said, according to the Herald. “Can’t leave it in the hands of the officials. I’ve gotta play better.” Talich told Notre Dame reporters, “we’re just taught to play through the hands,” adding, “so that’s what I did and was able to get the ball,” according to the Herald.

Notre Dame ran time off the clock with a series of runs by James before punting back to Miami with about a minute left. Miami’s final attempt, a hook-and-ladder play, ended the game without a score, according to NCAA.com and the school.

History and reaction

“It’s a special moment,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said, according to CBS Sports. “This is big. This is special.” Notre Dame Athletics said the win was the program’s 10th over a top-ranked opponent. The AP reported that Miami is 44-7 when playing as the AP’s No. 1 team, including 0-2 against Notre Dame; the Irish also beat a top-ranked Miami team 31-30 in 1988. NCAA.com reported that Notre Dame leads the all-time series 18-9-1.

The result leaves Utah and UCLA, both 9-0, as the only unbeaten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. According to the AP, it is the first time since 2003 that only two teams have gotten through their first nine games unbeaten.

Rankings and what comes next

In the AP poll released Sunday, Nov. 8, Georgia moved to No. 1, followed by Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA and Miami, according to the Miami Herald and Fighting Irish Wire. Miami’s four-spot drop ended a three-week run at No. 1. The Herald noted that the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings, not the AP poll, determine the 12-team playoff field.

Miami closes the regular season with three home Atlantic Coast Conference games: Duke on Saturday, Nov. 14, Virginia Tech on Nov. 21 and Boston College on Nov. 28. According to the Herald, the Hurricanes clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game, set for Dec. 5 in Charlotte, by winning two of those three. Notre Dame hosts Boston College on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, according to Boston College Athletics.