Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547079
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 17, 2026 41 OPPONENT ON DECK: MIAMI HURRICANES Date: Nov. 7, 2026 Site: Notre Dame Stadium (77,622) Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. All-time series: Notre Dame leads 18-9-1 Last meeting: Miami 27, Notre Dame 24 (Aug. 31, 2025, Hard Rock Stadium) 2026 Record To Date: 5-0 (3-0 ACC) Miami head coach: Mario Cristobal (40-19, fifth season) Season summary: For the third straight year, Mario Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes are off to a hot start, opening the season 5-0. Like 2024, when they had Cam Ward, the Hurricanes have another Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback in Darian Mensah. Like 2025, the pieces are there for them to make another run to the College Football Playoff championship game. It starts with Mensah. The Duke transfer had the second-best odds to win the Heisman after Week 5. Not only are his 84.2 completion percentage and 212.2 passing efficiency the best in the country, but he was also tied for third in passing touchdowns (15) and eighth in passing yards (1,438). Mensah has one of the top pass catchers in col- lege football at his disposal in Malachi Toney. The sophomore wide receiver was in the top 10 nation- ally in receptions (39), receiving yards (604) and touchdown catches (6). Led by Mensah and Toney, the Hurricanes were tied for No. 2 in the country in scoring offense at 49.6 points per game. The defense has been even better on paper. Miami has the No. 1 scoring de- fense, allowing just 9.8 points per game. However, it's hardly been tested, facing four putrid offenses and one respectable one in Wake Forest, which scored 20 points against Miami. There's a chance Miami's defense won't be tested before it arrives in South Bend, either. Flor- ida State and North Carolina both have middling offenses, and Pittsburgh's starting quarterback, Mason Heintschel, tore his ACL. ESPN's matchup predictor also favors Notre Dame, giving it a 59.6 percent chance to avenge last season's loss to the Hurricanes. ✦ Miami quarterback Darian Mensah has been one of the nation's top passers since transferring from Duke, completing 112 of 133 passes for 1,438 yards with 15 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in five games. PHOTO COURTESY MIAMI ATHLETICS OFFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. WR-X 8 Vandrevius Jacobs 6-0 182 Sr. 7 Daylyn Upshaw 6-0 195 So. WR-Z 18 Cooper Barkate 6-1 195 5th 12 Somourian Wingo 6-2 195 Fr. WR-SL 1 Malachi Toney 5-11 193 So. 13 Vance Spafford 5-10 175 Fr. LT 63 Samson Okunlola 6-6 330 Sr. 71 Jamal Meriweather 6-7 305 Sr. LG 65 Seuseu Alofaituli 6-2 298 So. 58 Ben Congdon 6-8 330 Fr. C 76 Ryan Rodriguez 6-2 300 5th 57 Rhys Woodrow 6-4 315 Fr. RG 66 Max Buchanan 6-4 310 So. 79 Jackson Cantwell 6-8 330 Fr. RT 78 Matthew McCoy 6-6 325 5th 75 Jacob Hawks 6-9 330 So. TE 9 Elija Lofton 6-3 242 Jr. 87 Gavin Mueller 6-5 255 Fr. QB 10 Darian Mensah 6-3 205 Sr. 5 Luke Nickel 6-2 220 So. RB 4 Mark Fletcher Jr. 6-2 225 Sr. 21 Javian Mallory 5-11 210 Fr. DEFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. DE 18 Armondo Blount 6-4 275 Jr. 10 Damon Wilson II 6-4 250 Sr. DT 5 Justin Scott 6-4 303 Jr. 97 Keona Davis 6-5 280 Jr. DT 99 Ahmad Moten Sr. 6-3 300 5th 91 Jarquez Carter 6-1 288 So. DE 8 Marquise Lightfoot 6-5 235 Jr. 31 Herbert Scroggins III 6-3 245 So. WLB 9 Chase Smith 6-2 235 5th 4 Cam Pruitt 6-2 220 Jr. MLB 1 Mohamed Toure 6-2 235 5th 11 Kamal Bonner 6-2 225 Sr. CB 2 Damari Brown 6-2 200 Sr. 21 Camdin Portis 5-11 180 Fr. SS 25 JJ Dunnigan 6-3 205 Fr. 28 Isaiah Taylor 5-11 200 5th FS 7 Zechariah Poyser 6-2 200 Sr. 23 Dylan Day 6-2 195 Jr. CB 3 Bryce Fitzgerald 6-1 188 So. 24 Ethan O'Connor 6-1 195 Sr. NB 0 Omar Thornton 5-11 201 Jr. 20 Chris Ewald Jr. 6-1 175 So. SPECIAL TEAMS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. P 94 Dylan Joyce 6-2 205 Sr. 96 Tucker Tevepaugh 5-11 200 Jr. PK 22 Jake Weinberg 5-10 189 Jr. 82 Jack Olsen 5-10 195 6th KO 22 Jake Weinberg 5-10 189 Jr. 82 Jack Olsen 5-10 195 5th LS 46 Adam Booker 6-4 220 5th 59 Vance Diepenbrock 5-10 220 Fr. H 94 Dylan Joyce 6-2 205 Sr. 96 Tucker Tevepaugh 5-11 200 Jr. PR 1 Malachi Toney 5-11 193 So. 18 Cooper Barkate 6-1 195 5th KR 0 Girard Pringle Jr. 5-10 190 So. 21 Javian Mallory 5-11 210 Fr. MIAMI HURRICANES DEPTH CHART 2026 MIAMI SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 4 at Stanford W, 45-6 Sept. 10 vs. Florida A&M W, 77-7 Sept. 18 at Wake Forest W, 33-20 Sept. 26 Central Michigan W, 52-3 Oct. 3 at Clemson W, 41-13 Oct. 17 Florida State (ESPN) 7 p.m. Oct. 24 Pittsburgh TBA Oct. 31 at North Carolina TBA Nov. 7 at Notre Dame (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 Duke TBA Nov. 21 Virginia Tech TBA Nov. 28 Boston College TBA