Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547512
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 14, 2026 21 NOTRE DAME PASSING OFFENSE: A Junior quarterback CJ Carr delivered his signa- ture performance in a big game by taking advan- tage of a Miami secondary that's struggled in re- cent weeks. He threw for more than 300 yards for the first time this season and completed 3 touch- down passes to his top two wide receivers: junior Micah Gilbert (2) and senior Jordan Faison (1). Faison's spectacular touchdown catch early in the second quarter gave Notre Dame a 10-0 lead, and Gilbert took advantage of the way Miami tried to cover him. But it all started with Carr's ability to make good decisions and put the ball in spots for his teammates to make plays. That Notre Dame's offensive line prevented Carr from being sacked certainly helped his efficiency, too. NOTRE DAME RUSHING OFFENSE: B The Irish poked, prodded and slammed into Mi- ami's defense trying to find consistency in the run- ning game, but they couldn't quite find it with 29 carries for 93 yards and 1 touchdown. But against a stout Miami run defense, that's not necessarily a bad day. The Hurricanes entered the game with the nation's No. 1 rushing defense, allowing just 60.8 yards per game. Though the Irish lacked efficiency on the ground, they did produce important moments on a handful of carries. Those included the fourth-and-1 con- version by sophomore running back Nolan James Jr. on the opening drive, the 1-yard touchdown run by James, the 20-yard run by freshman Jonaz Walton on a third-and-1 in the fourth quarter and the 4-yard run by James on third-and-3 when the Irish were attempting to run out the clock in the final four minutes. If Notre Dame had managed to pick up one more first down on the ground to run out the game clock, that would have been a satisfying finish to a physically demanding performance. NOTRE DAME PASSING DEFENSE: B- The Irish secondary giveth, and the Irish second- ary taketh. A unit that benefited from the absence of Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney following midweek ankle surgery had a roller coaster night against the Hurricanes. With the help of an aggres- sive and blitzing pass rush, the Irish limited quar- terback Darian Mensah to just 74 passing yards on 6-of-12 passing in the first half. That strong effort was nearly washed away by a third quarter in which Mensah completed 10 of 18 passes for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, senior safety Luke Talich made a momentum-shift- ing interception that allowed the Irish to hold on to and extend their lead. Notre Dame struggled when starting corner- backs Leonard Moore, a junior, and Jayden Sand- ers, a sophomore, missed windows of game action. Sophomore Mark Zackery IV struggled in their place to the extent that the Irish might need to find another backup solution at the position. A pass rush that generated a pair of sacks wasn't enough to limit what became a two-man arsenal of wide receiver Cooper Barkate (10 catches for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns) and tight end Elija Lofton (7 receptions for 113 yards and 1 score). NOTRE DAME RUSHING DEFENSE: A- Maybe allowing Miami to rush 28 times for 101 yards wasn't a dominant performance for Notre Dame's defense, but to do so without three newly injured interior players — senior linebacker Drayk Bowen (ankle), junior defensive tackle Francis Brewu (knee) and sixth-year defensive tackle Ja- son Onye (knee) — made the result even more impressive. That Notre Dame managed to keep Miami out of the end zone from the 1-yard line on three consecutive running plays in the second quarter sent a message. The Irish defense wasn't going to be pushed around on a cold November night. It also convinced Miami head coach Mario Cristobal to kick a 19-yard field goal rather than attempt a fourth-and-goal from the 1. NOTRE DAME SPECIAL TEAMS: B How does a special teams performance that includes a 44-yard field goal by junior Spencer Porath, two punts by freshman Jasper Scaife that pinned Miami inside its own 10-yard line and a 56-yard punt return by Faison receive a grade below an A? By freshman Micah Drescher sending two kick- offs out of bounds for penalties, Scaife shanking a punt for just 25 yards in the middle of Miami's offensive surge and Porath missing badly on a 53- yard attempt that would have given the Irish extra breathing room in the fourth quarter. NOTRE DAME COACHING: B+ Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash ex- ecuted a plan to prevent Miami from starting fast. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock schemed up some nice opportunities for the Irish in the passing game. Head coach Marcus Freeman lev- eraged the moment to lead his team to a hugely important win. REPORT CARD BY TYLER JAMES Senior wide receiver Jordan Faison notched 6 receptions for 77 yards with 1 touchdown and added a career-long 56-yard punt return in Notre Dame's 31-24 victory over No. 1 Miami. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER