Sports
Top-ranked Hurricanes Fall to Notre Dame 31-24, Suffer First Loss
No. 1 Miami's comeback from a 21-point deficit fell short in South Bend as Notre Dame held on for a 31-24 victory, handing the Hurricanes their first loss of the season.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. â The University of Miami's unbeaten run came to an end Saturday night as the top-ranked Hurricanes fell 31-24 to No. 11 Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium, dropping to 8-1 on the season.
Miami, playing without injured wide receiver Malachi Toney (ankle), was held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time this season and managed just 28 total yards in the opening 15 minutes. Notre Dame built a 17-3 halftime lead and extended it to 24-3 early in the third quarter before the Hurricanes mounted a furious rally.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr torched the Miami secondary throughout, finishing 29-of-40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He connected with Jordan Faison on a 27-yard score in the second quarter and found Micah Gilbert twice for touchdowns of 19 and 20 yards. Gilbert finished with nine catches for 98 yards.
Miami's offense sputtered early. Quarterback Darian Mensah, who entered the game with 25 touchdown passes and just one interception, completed only 6 of 12 passes for 49 yards in the first half. The Hurricanes reached first-and-goal at the 1-yard line in the second quarter but failed to punch it in, settling for a 19-yard Jake Weinberg field goal.
Trailing 24-3, Miami finally found rhythm. Mensah hit tight end Elija Lofton for a 12-yard touchdown, then found Cooper Barkate in the corner of the end zone for a 12-yard score to pull within 24-17. But Mensah's second interception of the season â a pass intended for Lofton that was picked off by safety Luke Talich â set up a Notre Dame scoring drive capped by Nolan James Jr.'s 1-yard run, restoring a two-score cushion at 31-17.
Barkate, who finished with 10 catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, scored again on a 1-yard slant with just under 10 minutes remaining to make it 31-24. Miami had chances to tie, but a 53-yard field goal attempt by Notre Dame's Spencer Porath missed, and the Hurricanes' final drive stalled when Lofton could not maintain possession on a fourth-and-6 pass into the end zone. Lofton finished with a career-high 113 receiving yards on seven catches.
Mensah completed 24 of 43 passes for 276 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Notre Dame's ground game, led by James (16 carries, 52 yards), helped drain the clock late, and a final Miami possession ended with a sack and a fumble recovered by the Fighting Irish.
The loss snaps Miami's perfect season and likely shakes up the top of the College Football Playoff rankings. The Hurricanes, who played in last season's national championship game, remain in contention but will have little margin for error in their final three regular-season games.
Miami hosts Duke (7-2) next Saturday at noon, while Notre Dame (8-1) hosts Boston College (4-5) at 3:30 p.m.