Notre Dame walked into Saturday night needing a statement, and CJ Carr delivered the kind of performance that gets remembered in South Bend. The Irish took down No. 1 Miami, 31-24, and the junior quarterback was at the center of it all, steering the offense through a game Notre Dame had to have to stay in the playoff picture.
Carr didn’t burst out of the gate looking unstoppable, but once he settled in, the game tilted his way. The Saline, Michigan native finished 29 of 40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns, his biggest passing total of the season.
He completed 73 percent of his throws and posted a 164.2 passer rating while spreading the ball to 10 different pass catchers. For a quarterback trying to carve out his place in Notre Dame lore, this was the kind of night that sticks.
The protection up front made it possible. Against what was supposed to be Miami’s best weapon, Notre Dame’s offensive line held up and then some.
Left tackle Will Black and right tackle Guerby Lambert each gave up just one pressure, according to PFF. Right guard Sullivan Absher didn’t allow any, and left guard Anthonie Knapp surrendered only one, a hit on the quarterback.
Center Ashton Craig had a tougher time in the run game, but he was steady in pass protection, allowing three pressures with no sacks and no quarterback hits.
As a group, the Irish gave up just six pressures total - five hurries and one hit - and kept Marquise Lightfoot from generating a single pressure, his lowest output of the season. Miami’s defensive end trio of Lightfoot, Armondo Blount and Damon Wilson II combined for only three pressures. That was the difference between a quarterback surviving the night and a quarterback taking over it.
Notre Dame also needed answers on the outside, and it got them from Jordan Faison and Micah Gilbert. The two receivers combined for 15 catches, 175 yards and three touchdowns, turning a thin margin into a real edge against Miami’s secondary.
Faison, a senior, finished with six receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown in what was described as his redemption game from last season. Gilbert, the junior boundary receiver, was the bigger-play threat, piling up nine catches for 98 yards and two scores. The pair were also the only two receivers to catch touchdown passes against Miami in Coral Gables last season, and they backed that up again in South Bend.
Notre Dame’s offense did what it needed to do in a must-win spot, scoring 31 points and helping the Irish improve to 8-1. With the CFP committee having slotted Notre Dame 11th in its initial rankings, the loss threat hung over the night from the start. Instead, Marcus Freeman’s team handled the moment, and Carr was the quarterback who made sure it counted.
In Other News...
Colin Cowherd Just Gave Notre Dame Fans New CFP Ammo
Colin Cowherds latest take on the College Football Playoff rankings gave Notre Dame fans fresh talking points, and not just because he pushed back on the Irish sitting at No. 11. He took aim at the committees decision to place Indiana at No. 4, while Notre Dame remains on the outside looking in, and argued that the gap between the two teams is not as straightforward as the rankings suggest.
Cowherd also revisited Notre Dames loss to BYU, saying the ending should be viewed through the lens of controversial officiating and the Big 12s admitted errors. He pointed to Notre Dames statistical edge over Indiana and questioned how the committee is weighing signature wins, which leaves the Irish with another public argument for why their rsum deserves a closer look. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames 2028 Class Just Added Another Intriguing Defender
Notre Dames 2028 recruiting class picked up another promising piece when linebacker Julian Bruno committed to the Fighting Irish, choosing South Bend over Stanford and other programs. Bruno adds to a quick run of momentum for the class, becoming the third player to pledge to Notre Dame in two days as the staff continues to build early around a group that already includes names like Zaiden Jernigan and Asa Burch.
Bruno brings the kind of profile Notre Dame tends to value on and off the field, with a reputation as a strong high school defender and a high academic prospect. For a program that has long sold both development and fit, landing a player with that combination only adds to the intrigue around what the 2028 class could become as more decisions start to stack up. [Read more 🡒]
College GameDays Notre Dame Split Will Fuel Miami Debate
ESPNs College GameDay turned South Bend into the center of the college football weekend ahead of Notre Dames matchup with Miami, and the shows pick segment only added to the buzz around the game. Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit and guest picker Jason Sudeikis all weighed in on a slate of Week 10 games, with the Irish drawing the bulk of the support in the marquee showdown.
Four of the five panelists backed Notre Dame to handle Miami, but Howard went the other way and sided with the Hurricanes. It is the kind of split that gives a prime-time matchup a little extra edge, especially with GameDay on site and the Irish getting the kind of national attention that comes with being the featured game of the day. [Read more 🡒]