Sports
CJ Carr leads No. 4 Notre Dame past No. 1 Miami in South Bend
CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as No. 4 Notre Dame held off No. 1 Miami 31-24 at Notre Dame Stadium.
Notre Dame had been waiting two years for a night like this. The Irish finally knocked off the top team in the country.
CJ Carr completed 29 of 40 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns as No. 4 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium.
The Irish improved to 8-1. Miami fell to 8-1 and absorbed its first loss of the season. The College Football Playoff committee had ranked Notre Dame 11th on Tuesday as the last team in the field.
Carr sets the tone
Carr carved up the Hurricanes after a quiet start against ranked teams this fall. Jordan Faison toe-tapped a 27-yard touchdown along the right sideline to make it 10-0 early in the second quarter. Micah Gilbert later snatched an 18-yard slant for a score that sent Notre Dame into halftime up 17-3.
Gilbert finished with nine catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. He added a 20-yard score on the first series of the second half after a long Faison punt return and pushed the lead to 24-3.
Miami played without star receiver Malachi Toney who is out for the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery on a high-ankle sprain.
Miami climbs back
Darian Mensah threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns after a slow first half. He found Elijah Lofton from 12 yards to make it 24-10 then connected with Cooper Barkate to pull within 24-17.
Nolan James Jr. answered. On fourth-and-2 he took a swing pass 36 yards to the Miami 7 and punched in a 1-yard touchdown for a 31-17 lead. Mensah and Barkate struck again on a 1-yard score that made it 31-24 with 9:53 remaining.
Talich slams the door
Safety Luke Talich intercepted Mensah after Miami's second touchdown and later knocked the ball away from Lofton in the end zone on fourth down with 3:36 left. Miami coach Mario Cristobal argued that Lofton had completed the catch. The replay center confirmed the incomplete call.
A sack on Mensah in the final minute left the Hurricanes with no time to tie it. The win was Notre Dame's 10th over a top-ranked opponent and its first against a top-16 team in two years.
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