Well, that wasn’t much fun.
Miami went into South Bend without its difference maker in Malachi Toney and still nearly dragged itself into a tie late. Whether Elija Lofton actually secured that ball is one argument.
Another is the pass interference on the previous throw to Daylyn Upshaw, which looked even more obvious. Either way, the Hurricanes walked away from a 31-24 loss to Notre Dame and the PFF grades told their own story.
Among Hurricanes who played at least 20 snaps, Cooper Barkate came out on top with an 80.9 grade. He was followed by Ahmad Moten, Sr. at 75.9, Mohamed Toure at 75.3, Damari Brown at 75.2 and Omar Thornton at 75.0.
Barkate had to be near the top, or this whole exercise would have been thrown out the window. He was a problem for Notre Dame all game, and especially after halftime when Miami started pushing back. He finished with 10 catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
Lofton’s absence from the top five is the one that jumps off the page. He caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, and another score could have been there too.
Still, PFF gave him a 59.3 overall grade, dragged down by a 50.4 mark on 19 run-blocking snaps. That’s a hard number to square with what he actually did in the game, because Lofton was a major part of Miami’s fightback.
Moten looked active in the middle and won his share of matchups. He led the team with three quarterback pressures.
Toure was all over the field and posted a game-high 12 tackles. Brown added a second-half pass breakup, and Thornton put together a clean outing with four tackles, no misses and just one catch allowed for three yards.
The bottom of the list was dominated by the offensive line. Samson Okunlola checked in at 46.9, Marquise Lightfoot at 47.7, Armondo Blount at 48.2, Seuseu Alofaituli at 48.5 and Ben Congdon at 52.1.
That fits with how the game looked. Miami got pushed around in short-yardage run situations, from left to right, and Notre Dame kept Darian Mensah moving with pressure all night. The Hurricanes managed only 12 quarterback pressures and no sacks, along with two tackles for loss, while Notre Dame produced 34 pressures, two sacks and five tackles for loss.
Congdon also appeared to miss a block near the goal line when Mensah was stopped on a designed run on third down. Plays like that leave points on the field, and Miami’s line play on both sides wasn’t close to good enough to win.
In Other News...
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Duke brings enough on both sides of the ball to make this a real test, not just a stepping stone, and Miami knows the margin for error is thin. A win would keep the Hurricanes in position for the ACC Championship Game, though they would still need help from other conference results to get there. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Lost A Recruit Mario Cristobal Could Not Afford To Miss
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For Miami, the miss stings not just because Matthews is from close to home, but because he fit the profile of the kind of lineman Cristobal has made a priority. With the 2027 cycle taking shape, the Hurricanes may have to turn more of their attention toward the 2028 class to keep building depth up front, especially if they want to avoid another round of chasing elite tackles after the top names are already spoken for. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Has A Rare ACC Chance But One Problem Could Ruin It
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Miamis place in the standings is strong, but the on-field issues have not disappeared. The Hurricanes still have to clean up the run game, hold up better in pass protection and keep the quarterback from taking too much pressure if they want the rest of the schedule to matter. In a year when the league structure is shifting around them, those are the kinds of flaws that can turn a promising opening into a missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]