Notre Dame’s path to beating No. 1 Miami starts with making the Hurricanes play on the Irish’s terms.
Later today, the Irish host the top-ranked Hurricanes in what stands as their biggest game of the 2026 regular season. Notre Dame has plenty riding on it, from improving its spot in the College Football Playoff rankings to getting a measure of revenge after last season’s loss in Coral Gables. It’s not the kind of matchup that hands out easy answers, and the Irish know it will take a complete effort to pull it off and avoid repeating 2025.
One of the biggest breaks for Notre Dame came before kickoff: Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney is out for an extended period after suffering an injury this weekend. That changes the shape of the game immediately.
Toney was Miami’s top receiving threat by a wide margin, with over 650 yards more than the next Hurricane, Cooper Barkate. With that edge taken away, Notre Dame can focus more heavily on slowing the run and forcing Miami into a narrower offensive plan.
That puts extra pressure on backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory, and stopping the ground game becomes a major priority.
At the same time, Notre Dame needs CJ Carr to deliver one of his best performances yet. He still hasn’t reached 300 passing yards in a game, but he has been steady and has not thrown an interception since Purdue, a stretch of four games.
He hasn’t been quite as sharp as he was in the previous two games, but the ability is there. If Carr can stress Miami’s secondary, it should create better running lanes for the Irish backs and make the offense much harder to defend.
Pressure on Miami quarterback Darian Mensah is another must. Mensah leads the nation in completion percentage at 80.7%, so the Irish can’t let him settle in and pick apart the defense.
Notre Dame is still waiting to see whether Francis Brewu or Jason Onye will be available after both were listed as questionable Thursday, but the mission stays the same either way: make Mensah uncomfortable. If he’s forced off his spot, the chances for risky throws go up, and Notre Dame’s secondary could be in position to capitalize.
Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young and the rest of the front will have to deal with a strong Miami offensive line to make that happen.
The Irish also need their run game to keep moving forward. Nolan James Jr. and Jonaz Walton have given Notre Dame two solid options, with Aneyas Williams working in behind them.
That balance matters, especially against a Miami defense that has been excellent against the run and is again leading the country in rushing yards allowed per game. If Notre Dame can run efficiently, it can keep the offense on schedule and create more space for Carr to operate.
And then there’s the part that usually decides games like this: physicality. This one figures to be settled in the trenches, with both teams bringing offensive and defensive lines that would make plenty of programs jealous.
Notre Dame needs to win that fight. If the Irish can wear Miami down and be the more physical team, they give themselves the best shot to come out on top.
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It is not hard to see why. Games like Texas-Texas A&M and Ohio State-Texas are also drawing premium prices, a reminder that rankings and playoff implications can send demand soaring before a snap is even taken. For Notre Dame fans, the next marker arrives Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, when the stadiums most expensive ticket gets its first real payoff. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Got Pulled Into Notre Dames Weirdest GameDay Moment
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One of those dummies featured Michael Irvins face, adding to the oddity of a moment already drenched in GameDay theater. Milano then drilled the kick, and with it came the $1 million prize, giving Notre Dame fans a surreal little subplot to go with the bigger show on campus. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Fans Got A GameDay Moment They Wont Forget
College GameDay brought a little extra theater to South Bend, and Notre Dame fans got a front-row seat to one of the broadcasts most memorable side attractions. Pat McAfees Kicking is Easy contest put student Michael Milano in the spotlight, with Joe Montana on set to back him up as the pressure climbed and the challenge got tougher.
Milano eventually drilled a $1 million kick on his second try, giving the crowd the kind of live-TV payoff that tends to linger long after the cameras move on. The day also had a charitable twist, with the Notre Dame leprechaun mascot Riley stepping in to nail a $500,000 kick, adding another layer to a scene that fit the pageantry and unpredictability of GameDay perfectly. [Read more 🡒]