Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547512
28 NOV. 14, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN … On the decision to go for it on fourth down early in the game: "See, that's the misconception, that the game makes you have these nerves you don't have any other time. If you're nervous on a fourth-down call versus Navy, you're going to be nervous versus Miami, right? The decisions I make, when we go for it on fourth down, have nothing to do with the oppo- nent. It had to do with what we believe, what I believe in terms of when we go for it on fourth or not. "So, I didn't want the game to influence decisions. We have a plan. We've just got to go out there and execute, and our guys executed when it mattered the most." On sophomore running back Nolan James Jr.'s perfor- mance: "He ran the ball hard, man. He did. He most impor- tantly took care of the football, handed it to the referee. He ran the ball extremely hard when we needed it the most. [Fresh- man running back] Jonaz [Walton] did the exact same thing. "Those two guys did a tremendous job, when we needed them the most, of continuing to move those sticks and get valuable rushing yards." JUNIOR QUARTERBACK CJ CARR … On how the atmosphere helped the team: "It was amaz- ing. Credit to our fans who showed up and are unbelievable every week. They played a huge part and continued to gain momentum, and then helped our defense when they needed to get loud. "You start the game off with a penalty, which is awesome and just gets them going even more. So the crowd was electric today." On how much he was able to enjoy the moment when the students rushed the field: "I was trying to enjoy it some more. They kept trying to usher me over to talk to people. I'm like, 'Dude, let me go celebrate this sucker.' We earned this thing. Let's go hang out with the crowd and our teammates. "So I was trying to enjoy it a little more. I'm definitely go- ing to go home and see my family and see these guys again and enjoy a little bit more." SENIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN BOUBACAR TRAORE … On what it was like to celebrate after the victory: "It was great. Everybody played hard. Everybody fought hard on both sides of the ball, on both teams. "It felt great to come out on top, seeing the fans rush the field. It was definitely a great feeling." SENIOR SAFETY LUKE TALICH … On the fans rushing the field: "My gosh. Yeah, it was in- sane. I was just bombarded by a bunch of people. I just got my head knocked around. I might have a minor concussion after the whole thing. It was crazy. "A bunch of fans, so excited. It's awesome. The atmosphere tonight was unreal. I can't thank them enough for showing out. They definitely played a huge role. I think CJ mentioned that they had a false start on the first play — well, it should have been a false start. So yeah, it was unreal and a great at- mosphere. The field rush was insane." JUNIOR WIDE RECEIVER MICAH GILBERT On the fans rushing the field: "It was an amazing feel- ing. Notre Dame Nation showed out; fans brought the energy where they were loud all game, which we love to see. So it was nice to see the support that we all get." MIAMI HEAD COACH MARIO CRISTOBAL On how concerned he was for his players' safety when fans started running on the field: "It's player safety. My sons are out there as well. Like, something needs to be — I'm all for fun and everything else. But when people start infring- ing on — brother, you better get back. It ain't going to be pretty for you. Like, something has to be done about that kind of stuff. "Let the fans have a good time. If the field's involved, that's great. But do not antagonize people. That's college football. I have no issues with it. Now we got to make our way in. And how we make our way in, it is what it is. "But look, great atmosphere. Tremendous credit to them. There's no bitching about that part on this side. I'm not com- plaining at all. It was a big night for them over here. We didn't get it done. So, that's their right to celebrate how they want to celebrate." FROM THE LOCKER ROOM Notre Dame students and fans rushed the field at Notre Dame Stadium after an exhilarating 31-24 victory over No. 1 Miami. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER