Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547512
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 14, 2026 23 0 Turnovers committed and sacks allowed by Notre Dame during its 31-24 triumph over No. 1 Miami. The Irish forced 2 turnovers and registered 2 sacks. 2nd Is where Notre Dame now ranks na- tionally among programs with the most victories against the Associated Press poll's No. 1 team. With its 31-24 triumph over Miami, Notre Dame broke a tie with the Hurricanes for second most nationally behind Alabama's 11. The Irish have faced the AP's top-ranked team 28 times and are now 10-17-1 in those games, including 5-5 at home. Notre Dame's last victory over No. 1 came against Clemson, 47-40 in double overtime, on Nov. 7, 2020 — exactly six years be- fore this year's matchup. MOST WINS OVER AP NO. 1 IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY AP poll era, 1936-present Rk. School Wins vs. AP No. 1 1. Alabama 11 2. Notre Dame 10 3. Miami 9 4. Oklahoma 8 5. Ohio State 7 Purdue 7 Southern Cal 7 8. Auburn 6 Texas 6 4 Straight wins for the Fighting Irish against the Hurricanes at Notre Dame Stadium, dating back to the 1988 meeting that ended with the Irish winning a 31-30 classic. The Irish are now 10-1 against the Canes at the House That Rockne Built. 5 Of Notre Dame's 10 wins against the AP's No. 1 team have come at Notre Dame Stadium. NOTRE DAME'S 10 WINS OVER AP NO. 1 Date Result Head Coach Nov. 21, 1936 No. 11 ND 26, Elmer Layden No. 1 Northwestern 6* Jan. 1, 1971 No. 6 ND 24, Ara Parseghian No. 1 Texas 11^ Dec. 31, 1973 No. 3 ND 24, Ara Parseghian No. 1 Alabama 23! Jan. 2, 1978 No. 5 ND 38, Dan Devine No. 1 Texas 10^ Nov. 6, 1982 ND 31, Gerry Faust No. 1 Pittsburgh 16# Oct. 15, 1988 No. 4 ND 31, Lou Holtz No. 1 Miami 30* Jan. 1, 1990 No. 4 ND 21, Lou Holtz No. 1 Colorado 6+ Nov. 13, 1993 No. 2 ND 31, Lou Holtz No. 1 Florida State 24* Nov. 7, 2020 No. 4 ND 47, Brian Kelly No. 1 Clemson 40 (2OT)* Nov. 7, 2026 No. 4 ND 31, Marcus Freeman No. 1 Miami 24* * at Notre Dame Stadium; ^ Cotton Bowl; ! Sugar Bowl; # at Pittsburgh; + Orange Bowl 7 Different head coaches have guided Notre Dame to a victory over an AP No. 1 team, with Marcus Freeman joining that exclusive group this year. That is more than any other school in the country. HEAD COACHES WITH A WIN OVER AP NO. 1 Program Wins Over Head Coaches AP No. 1 With a Win Notre Dame 10 7 Ohio State 7 5 Southern Cal 7 5 Auburn 6 5 Oklahoma 8 4 Texas 6 4 Miami 9 4 Alabama 11 3 Purdue 7 3 8-5 Record for the Fighting Irish when ESPN's College GameDay visits South Bend. The show made its first on-campus broadcast at Notre Dame on Nov. 13, 1993, before the Irish defeated Florida State 31-24. 38 Years between victories for Notre Dame teams against a No. 1-ranked Miami team in South Bend. The Fighting Irish, who were ranked No. 4 in the AP poll for both matchups, scored 31 points in both wins: 31-30 in the memorable "Catholics vs. Convicts" on Oct. 15, 1988, and 31-24 on Nov. 7, 2026. Miami boasts a 44-7 record when playing as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, but now has a 0-2 mark against Notre Dame in such contests. 54:38 Was how long Miami trailed Notre Dame en route to its first loss of the season. Entering this matchup, the Hurricanes had trailed for a total of 23:08 in their first eight games of the season. 56 Yards on senior wide receiver Jordan Faison's punt return in the third quarter, which set a new career high. It is the longest punt return by an Irish player since Chris Tyree brought one back 82 yards for a touchdown in a 58-7 tri- umph over Pittsburgh on Oct. 28, 2023. 94% Chance for Notre Dame to earn a bid to the College Football Playoff follow- ing its win over No. 1 Miami, per ESPN's Allstate Playoff Predictor. With a loss, the Irish's projected chances would have dropped to 57%. 145 Yards of total offense and 3 points in the first half for the Hurricanes, both of which represented season lows. Miami had scored at least 14 points and averaged 27 first-half points in its first eight contests this season. 319 Passing yards for Notre Dame junior quarterback CJ Carr. It marked his third career 300-yard passing game. He threw for 354 against Arkansas on Sept. 27, 2025, and for 342 versus North Carolina State on Oct. 11, 2025. Carr completed a career-high 29 passes on 40 attempts (72.5 percent) and threw 3 touchdown passes. His previous high for completions was 27 at BYU earlier this season. BY THE NUMBERS BY STEVE DOWNEY 9 Receptions for 98 yards for Notre Dame junior wide receiver MICAH GILBERT. The 9 catches and 2 scores repre- sent new career highs for him. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER