Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 31, 2026 35 GAME PREVIEW: MIAMI BY JACK SOBLE MIAMI RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Miami is a "use the pass to set up the run" kind of team, which is part of why the Hurricanes own the fourth-most efficient run game in college foot- ball at 6.16 yards per carry. They'll face Notre Dame's No. 3 rush efficiency defense at 2.10 opponent yards per carry. The Irish will get a slight edge here because Miami's of- fensive line — save for returning starter Matthew McCoy at right tackle — is much less experienced than Notre Dame's defensive front. Still, this is truly good on good. Miami's backfield took a hit when it lost rota- tional running back CharMar Brown to a season- ending injury, but the Hurricanes still have two punishing backs in Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory. Fletcher gave Notre Dame some problems last season, particularly Mike linebacker Drayk Bowen. We know now, however, that Bowen was dealing with a hip injury the entire season that limited his effectiveness. The Irish linebackers were also adjusting to new defensive coordinator Chris Ash's way of defending the run, which required read- ing and reacting instead of playing one gap each. They didn't really know what they were doing, and it showed on tape. They know what they're doing now. Bowen and company should have a much less difficult time with Fletcher this time around, in large part because Miami's offensive line, while still huge and very talented, isn't quite as good as it was a year ago. Fletcher, meanwhile, is at his best when he gets a head of steam. Don't let him do that, and he's far less effective. Notre Dame's defensive tackles, led by Pitt transfer Francis Brewu, are significantly improved from 2025. Brewu's strength should help the Irish withstand the double teams that troubled them last season. Neither will defensive ends Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young, the latter of whom also had a bad time in Miami Gardens, Fla., last year. The point is, Miami dominated Notre Dame in the trenches when these teams met in 2025. That shouldn't happen again. Advantage: Notre Dame MIAMI PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE The Irish don't want to shadow their opponent's best wide receiver with All-American cornerback Leonard Moore, but they will if they have to. Against Miami, they have to. With respect to veteran nickel back Christian Gray, superstar Miami slot receiver Malachi Toney is too good to trust him or anyone else with this assignment. In what will arguably be the best indi- vidual matchup of the 2026 college football regular season, Moore should follow Toney everywhere he goes, at least when Notre Dame plays man coverage. After a prolific freshman season, Toney has been better as a sophomore. Through Week 6, he had 39 receptions (20 more than the next-best Hurricane), 604 yards (363 more) and 6 touchdowns. He's small, but he's physical, deadly quick and able to catch in traffic with the best of them. Miami will try to get him the ball around the line of scrimmage in a variety of different ways, which is more reason to put the 6-foot-2 Moore on him at all times. If Toney is covered, though, last year's second- leading receiver in the ACC is also a Hurricane. Duke transfer Cooper Barkate came over with his quarterback, Darian Mensah, at the 11th hour. Barkate is a dynamic player in his own right, and he and Toney catch passes from the Associated Press' midseason first-team All-American quarterback. Mensah has completed 84.2 percent of his passes for 10.8 yards per attempt through five games with Miami, and it's not just short stuff, ei- ther. On throws traveling at least 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, Mensah had connected on 37 of 46 for 823 yards with 13 touchdowns through Week 6. There's not a ton he's doing poorly right now, even when pressured. This is a massive game for Young and Traore, because the one weakness we found in Miami's film was that their tackles can occasionally get beaten around the edge. Mensah occasionally gets casual with his mechanics when he holds the ball too long, reminiscent of Cam Ward, though not to the same extent and it hasn't affected his numbers thus far. If Notre Dame gets a shutdown performance from Moore against Toney, the rest should fall into place for Notre Dame. But Mensah has been so good and the Hurricanes have enough counters — including tight end Elija Lofton, who plays a position that has occasionally hurt the Irish — that they have the edge. Advantage: Miami NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. MIAMI RUN DEFENSE We're writing this before Notre Dame takes on BYU, so you probably have a better idea of what the Irish run game actually is than we do. But the returns from the three weeks leading up to that top-10 matchup in Provo were promising, in both the offensive line's progress and the emergence of freshman running back Jonaz Walton. That's good news against a Miami defense that has allowed neither jack nor squat on the ground in 2026. The Canes are first in college football in both rushing yards allowed per game (42.6) and oppo- nent yards per carry (1.84). The key to their opera- tion might surprise you, because it's their nickel. Boston College transfer Omar Thornton leads Mi- ami with 9 run stops (tackles against the run that result in a failure for the offense). Stopping the run with a light box is an extremely powerful trick for a defense, and Thornton's ability to essentially play like a linebacker is a game-changer. Miami also boasts a stout defensive tackle group, led by Ahmad Moten Sr. and former Notre Dame recruiting target Justin Scott. The Canes had a question mark at linebacker opposite eight-year man (seriously) Mohamed Toure, but sixth-year On PaPer Senior running back Mark Fletcher Jr. piled up 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, and he had 307 yards and 5 touchdowns through five games this year. PHOTO COURTESY MIAMI ATHLETICS