Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547512
26 NOV. 14, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED NOTRE DAME VS. MIAMI QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 10:46 5:20 6:01 8:48 16:06 14:49 30:55 Third-Down Conversions 2-5 1-2 0-4 2-4 3-7 2-8 5-15 Fourth-Down Conversions 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 2-2 Average Field Position ND-22 ND-25 ND-42 ND-22 ND-24 ND-35 ND-29 Miami (FL) 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 4:14 9:40 8:59 6:12 13:54 15:11 29:05 Third-Down Conversions 0-2 1-4 3-5 2-3 1-6 5-8 6-14 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-1 0-0 1-2 1-2 Average Field Position UM-16 UM-17 UM-37 UM-24 UM-16 UM-31 UM-25 PLAY CHART (NO. OF PLAYS) Yards ND UM Nega ve 3 4 0-5 43 40 6-9 6 11 10-19 11 9 20-29 4 3 30-39 1 2 40-49 0 1 50 or more 0 1 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score Notre Dame 3 3 0 0 Miami 5 3 1 1 BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Notre Dame • 1-10 ND35 Carr pass to Faison for 26 yards to UM39 • 1-10 UM27 Carr pass to Faison for 27 yards and a touch- down • 4-2 UM43 Carr pass to James for 36 yards to UM7 Miami • 1-10 UM9 Fletcher rush for 29 yards to UM38 • 4-1 ND43 Mensah pass to Lofton for 31 yards to ND12 • 3-8 UM42 Mensah pass to Barkate for 35 yards to ND23 • 2-8 UM37 Mensah pass to Lofton for 41 yards to ND22 Members of Notre Dame's 1988 national championship team returned to campus as the Irish honored late head coach Lou Holtz during their 31-24 victory over No. 1 Miami, echoing the championship squad's memorable triumph over the Hurricanes. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER himself on a 1-yard run. The play call, which was selected after Notre Dame identified Miami's man coverage, seem- ingly confused Miami's defense in a cru- cial moment early in the fourth quarter. "Credit to our coaches again," Carr said. "Schemed them up, knew what they were going to be in. It was exciting." Carr, who completed 29 of his 40 passes (72.5 percent), surpassed 300 passing yards for the first time this sea- son with 319 against Miami. Seven com- pletions of at least 18 yards comprised more than half (164) of Carr's passing yards. When the Irish needed big plays, Carr provided them through the air. " Un b e l i eva b l e sc h e m e t h a t t h e coaches have been cooking up for the last week," Carr said. "They've been in early and left late. [Quarterbacks] coach [Gino Guidugli], [offensive coordinator Mike] Denbrock, and that whole offensive staff have done just such an unbelievable job putting us in positions where we know exactly what we need to do. And then it's up to us to go execute, which I thought we did a really good job of tonight." — Tyler James SKIP HOLTZ REFLECTS ON FATHER'S LEGACY AS NOTRE DAME HONORS LOU HOLTZ For the first time in a very long time, Skip Holtz is in football limbo. The same can't be said for the heart of the former Notre Dame wide receiver, assistant coach and son of the late Irish coaching icon Lou Holtz. It's all Notre Dame and always has been. "It's who we are as a family," he said. "We all embrace it. We all love it." The 62-year-old was back at Notre Dame Stadium this weekend, with mul- tiple generations of the Holtz family, to take in the tribute to his father, the last Irish coach to win a national title, who died on March 4 at age 89. The captains from the Holtz era (1986- 96) were part of the pregame pageantry. The halftime show during the 29th-ever clash between bitter rivals Notre Dame and Miami was Lou Holtz-themed. And a line of Holtz merchandise benefiting the Holtz Family Foundation and Holtz's Heroes charities was unveiled in the days leading up to the game. And even the outcome had Holtz written all over it. The AP No. 4 Irish's 31-24 upset of No. 1 Miami shared some symmetry with the 1988 team's No. 4-vs.-No. 1 toppling under Holtz. Including, per Skip, what it might lead to under fifth- year Irish head coach Marcus Freeman. "I am a huge, huge fan of Marcus Freeman," Skip said. "I can't say enough positive things about the love, respect, admiration that I have for him and if somebody was going to lead Our Lady's University, I'm glad it's him. "He understands what this place is all about. It's not every other school. It's not about just winning. It's about doing things the right way. It's about treating other people the right way. I think when I look at the team that he has put together right now, I think this team is capable of winning a national championship." Then he took a little bit of a detour to admonish — before the Notre Dame-