Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 14, 2026 29 M arcus Freeman escaped from the field-storming he had just helped trigger at Notre Dame Stadium, soaked in sweat and saturated in history. The 10th takedown in program history of a No. 1 team — a retro-feeling 31-24 subduing of a Miami program approach- ing late '80s levels of being reviled — was made all the sweeter for the fifth-year Irish coach by something deeper. The vision Freeman shared when he took the reins of the program in Decem- ber 2021 had come to life. An offensive line- and defensive line- driven program. A nod to Notre Dame football's DNA. And a revival that played a major role in the biggest win to date of Freeman's 51 victories in 64 games since succeeding Brian Kelly. "They played relentless, man," an emo- tional Freeman said postgame, winning the battle with his tear ducts but not by a wide margin. "It was going to be a chal- lenge because that program we just faced, they pride themselves on the same thing. "It was a challenge to block them, es- pecially their inside guys, and it was a challenge to get to that quarterback. I thought we got really good pressure, but to actually get him down was a challenge. I'm extremely proud of them guys, and we wouldn't be in this posi- tion without our O-line and D-line." That position being that the AP No. 4/ CFP No. 11 Irish (8-1) are back in the thick of the College Football Playoff chatter and the continuation of November domi- nance under Freeman — 15-2 in Novem- ber games on his watch and 12 straight. Notre Dame held a Miami rushing at- tack averaging 202.5 yards per game and 5.5 per carry to 101 yards and 3.6 per carry. And in the pass game, the Irish got the only 2 sacks of the game, but when they didn't get him to the ground, they were often hurrying Miami quar- terback Darian Mensah — the Heisman Trophy favorite at the end of October and nation's leader in pass efficiency. Mensah's 19 incompletions against the Irish — he completed 24 of 43 throws — were more than he accrued in Miami's first four games of the season, plus an October 52-23 rout of Pitt, combined. He also threw only his second inter- ception of the season — a late third- quarter pick by former walk-on and perhaps future All-American Luke Ta- lich near midfield, for the senior safe- ty's third of the year. It led to an Irish fourth-quarter touchdown. Mensah's pass efficiency rating was a season-low 128.1, more than 70 points below his season average entering the game and 36 points below CJ Carr's 164.2. Notre Dame's quarterback was clearly and consistently the better of the two in this game. Talich, an injury replacement for pre- season All-American Brauntae Johnson since the second half of the Sept. 6 sea- son opener, also broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to tight end Elija Lofton to help quell a late surge by the Hurricanes (8-1). "We would not be able to play man coverage if the D-line wasn't able to get pressure," said Talich, who added 6 tackles, "because it's a hard job for DBs to stay with your guy for so long. And so, when you get that pressure, it helps us so much. And yeah, super huge credit to them for sure." From an offensive line standpoint, it was a matchup of the No. 1 team in sacks allowed — Notre Dame with 2 — and the No. 11 team in sacks produced (24). And the Irish walked away with none allowed after the O-line got dominated in last year's 27-24 Miami victory over Notre Dame in the 2025 season opener. In the run game, the Irish averaged a modest 3.2 yards per carry, but Notre Dame dented the nation's No. 1 rush defense for 93 yards and provided enough balance for Carr to shine in the passing game. He threw for a season- high 319 yards and 3 touchdowns with- out an interception. Two of those went to junior Mi- cah Gilbert, who had a career-high 9 catches for 98 yards. And one went to senior Jordan Faison, who caught 6 passes for 77 yards. "That's who CJ Carr is, man," Free- man said. "He prepares." If the win over Miami was a refer- endum on the big-game worthiness of Carr and Freeman, as some suggested, then consider that question answered. And yet neither will be looking for vin- dication in the days ahead. Just to im- prove for the next big stage — and the not-so-big ones until that happens. Just like the 1988 team did after it took out Miami, 31-30, on its way to the program's most recent national title. A game Freeman told his players about this week ahead of the 29th meeting between the two rivals. "You study the history to value the opportunity you have in the present," Freeman said. "I didn't show them video. We talked about it, the important statistics that produced the outcome. But today is about today, and this team and what they accomplished today. "As we continue to move forward in life, I'm sure we'll remember this mo- ment, but I know I'm going to wake up tomorrow, and unfortunately, you've got to let this one go. You've got to get ready for the next one. "But I'm going to try to extend to- night as long as I can." ✦ Senior defensive lineman Boubacar Traore recorded 6 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a half-sack, helping Notre Dame's defensive front set the tone in the win over No. 1 Miami. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Marcus Freeman's Vision Realized Eric Hansen covers Notre Dame athletics for On3, with a focus on Irish football. He can be reached on X @ EHansenND THE DEEP READ ERIC HANSEN