Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 31, 2026 37 GAME PREVIEW: MIAMI 300-pound ballerina (complimentary), or Thorn- ton, who is a huge part of the pass rush operation. Miami has four rushers with 10 or more pressures: The three defensive ends, and Thornton. Elite motors are also a trait of the Hurricanes' pass rush, which is why they are tied for eighth in the FBS in sacks per game with 3.2. Needless to say, this is a season-defining test for Notre Dame offensive tackles Will Black and Guerby Lambert. They have been better as of late, but speed rushers gave them problems earlier this season. Clemson had some success through the air by getting the ball out quickly, running misdirection that kept the Hurricanes off balance and extending plays outside the pocket. Irish quarterback CJ Carr is a better off-schedule quarterback than his mod- est speed indicates, so this is an area in which he can take advantage. Miami also does not pick off a ton of passes, so turnover differential is a battle Notre Dame has to win. Still, the Canes entered Week 7 tied for sixth nationally in opponent yards per attempt at 5.6 for a reason. They've done it despite losing both starting cornerbacks, Xavier Lucas and Romanas "OJ" Frederique Jr., to injury in Week 1. Lucas' return is imminent, but Frederique may be out a little while longer. In their absence, rotational cor- ner Ethan O'Connor has stepped up big-time and safety Bryce Fitzgerald, who intercepted 6 passes last season, has moved to corner. Assuming at least Lucas returns by Nov. 7, Fitzgerald should move back to safety and that should aid the Hurricanes' efforts to take the ball away — not that Carr will give them many op- portunities. He only threw 1 interception through Week 6, and his pass efficiency rating of 186.4 was fifth in the Power Four. If Notre Dame protects well, Carr can do dam- age against a beat-up back seven. That, however, is a big "if." Advantage: Even SPECIAL TEAMS Notre Dame has committed a few too many spe- cial teams mistakes for special teams coordinator Marty Biagi's liking as of late. The occasional running-into-the-punter penalty is something the Irish will live with because they like to be extremely aggressive with blocking punts and kicks. Allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown, dropping a punt snap, getting a punt blocked, miss- ing a chip-shot field goal and missing an extra point simply cannot happen. Those mistakes didn't cost Notre Dame a victory against North Carolina, Wis- consin, Michigan State and Stanford, respectively. They absolutely will against Miami. Whatever downside the Irish offer on special teams, though, is often offset by significant upside. There's the blocked kicks factor; Notre Dame is one of 23 schools with multiple blocks this season. The Irish are solid in the kicking game as well, with Spencer Porath drilling 7 of 8 field goals through Week 6 with a long of 52. Finally, wide receiver Jordan Faison improved dramatically from Year 1 as Notre Dame's primary punt returner to Year 2. He has a pair of 37-yard returns and, halfway through the season, he's 14th in the nation with an average of 15.22 yards per return. Despite seeming like a lab-grown punt returner, Toney has actually been quiet on that front with only 3 returns for 33 yards through five games in 2026. The Canes have not blocked a kick, either. Kicker Jake Weinberg, a transfer from Florida State, has been impressive, going 5 of 6 on field goals with a long of 50 (and his lone miss was from 54, and it was blocked). In summary, this is a battle of high ceiling, low floor (Notre Dame) vs. low ceiling, high floor (Mi- ami). We'll find out on Nov. 7 which side wins out. Advantage: Even COACHING Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has many positive qualities. He is known as an elite recruiter, program builder and developer of talent, particu- larly on the offensive line. He is not known as an elite in-game coach, in part because of a gaffe that cost the Hurricanes a game in 2023. With a 20-17 lead against Georgia Tech, Cristobal inexplicably refused to take a knee. Instead, he ran the ball, and lo and behold, the ball carrier fumbled and the Yellow Jackets won on a last-second touchdown. Miami's run to the national championship game last season, which included playoff wins against Ohio State and Ole Miss, quieted some of the noise about Cristobal's decision-making, but not all of it. He is known to be conservative, both in late-game situations and on fourth downs. The same cannot be said for Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, who is likely the most aggressive and analytically inclined head coach the program has ever had. The Irish actually went for it eight more times than the Hurricanes last season, despite the former playing 12 games and the latter playing 16. Freeman draws criticism when his go-for-it deci- sions don't work, but he doesn't leave win prob- ability on the table. The same cannot be said for his counterpart. Advantage: Notre Dame 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 TWO-DEEP DEPTH CHART