Miami’s path to putting real heat on Notre Dame starts with Damon Wilson II finding his early-season form again.
The Hurricanes entered the year banking on a revamped defensive line to help replace what they lost with Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. off to the NFL. Miami also dipped into the transfer portal, and Wilson arrived as one of the headline additions. That hype made sense: he came in after a nine-sack, 54-QB-pressure season at Missouri, good enough to earn Second Team All-SEC honors.
For one stretch, he looked every bit the impact piece Miami needed. Against Clemson, Wilson posted 2.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, three tackles and 11 QB pressures.
But the production has cooled sharply since then. Over the next three games, he managed just one tackle with no sacks and no tackles for loss.
That’s the version Miami can’t afford to carry into this weekend.
Through eight games, Wilson has 3.5 sacks and six total tackles, and the Clemson breakout still accounts for 71.4% of his season sack total. He opened the year quietly, too, with zero quarterback pressures against Stanford and Florida A&M before picking up his first sack in the third game against Wake Forest.
The challenge in front of him is obvious. Notre Dame’s offensive line has given up only two sacks in eight games, the best mark in the country. That protection has helped CJ Carr put together a season with 1,849 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and just one interception.
Miami’s defense has still found ways to get after quarterbacks even with Wilson’s recent dip. The Hurricanes have 24 sacks through eight games, which works out to three per game. Marquise Lightfoot has been a major driver there with seven sacks and 29 tackles.
But the pass defense has been a different story. Over the last three games, Miami has allowed 980 passing yards and 10 passing touchdowns, which comes out to 326.7 passing yards per game. On the season, the Hurricanes are 121st nationally in passing yards allowed at 251.9 per game, even while leading the nation in rushing defense at 60.8 yards allowed per game.
If Miami is going to make life uncomfortable for Notre Dame, Wilson has to be part of the answer.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Got A CFP Reality Check Before Miami
The first College Football Playoff rankings arrived with the kind of early-season jolt that always reshapes the conversation, and for Miami it offered an immediate look at how the committee sees the road ahead. The release also underscored just how different the CFP picture can look from the AP Top 25, with several teams landing in spots that did not match the poll most fans have been following.
Notre Dame was one of the clearest examples of that gap, sitting in a position that sent a message about how the committee is weighing resumes rather than reputation. Hunter Yurachek said the process is tough in a season with so much competition, and the broader board reflected that tension, with 10 SEC teams included and Indiana coming out as the highest-ranked Big Ten team despite some surprising factors. [Read more 🡒]
Ahmmon Richards Just Exposed Where Miami Can Hurt Notre Dame
Ahead of Miamis upcoming game with Notre Dame, former Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards offered a sharp breakdown of what he sees on both sides of the ball. He dug into quarterback Tyler Carrs style, the Irish defensive looks and the offensive tendencies that could shape the matchup, giving a former players eye for the details that often decide these games.
Richards also pointed to specific plays and individual matchups worth watching, which is exactly the kind of early scouting report Miami fans will want to hear before a big test. For a Hurricanes team looking for any edge it can find, the value is in those little tells and tendencies, and Richards made it clear there are places where Notre Dame can be attacked if Miami reads the game correctly. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Can End Notre Dames Season Before The Playoff Even Starts
The playoff picture has already put Miami in a powerful spot, with the Hurricanes sitting No. 1 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and Notre Dame lingering at No. 11. The matchup between the two programs now carries more than just bragging rights, because Miami has the chance to add another major win while also putting a serious dent in the Irishs postseason path.
CFP committee chairman Hunter Yurachek added to the conversation during an ESPN broadcast when he addressed Notre Dames schedule strength, a reminder that every detail is under the microscope this time of year. For Miami, the stakes are straightforward: handle business in a game with national implications, and the Hurricanes could end Notre Dames playoff hopes before the bracket even takes shape. [Read more 🡒]