CFB: Notre Dame Fighting Irish Week 11 Preview 

In what was the biggest game at a capacity Notre Dame Stadium since #1 Florida State arrived in 1993, and on a night when ND commemorated the remarkable achievements of the late Lou Holtz, the Irish woke up the echoes of 1988 and the memories of the last time a #4 ND faced a #1 Miami. On a night where at one point it seemed like the visitors might score a late fourth-quarter TD to make the score 31-30 and give their head coach an epic decision to make, Notre Dame answered their critics with their best performance in two seasons. 

It was a night that curiously mirrored the reverse fixture in Miami Gardens a year ago. On that occasion, it was the Hurricanes who dominated both lines of scrimmage, gained the most yards and won the turnover battle 2-0. They took a 21-7 lead and had to withstand an ND comeback before sealing victory with a FG with 1:04 remaining. 

This time it was the Irish who outperformed the opposition. The OL kept Carr upright all night as he ripped the Hurricanes apart, throwing for over 300 yards and 3 TDs. The Irish front seven, missing DTs Brewu and Onye, and LB Bowen, terrorised Mensah all night, never letting him settle into a rhythm. After quite a few more passive defensive game plans of late, it was truly a sight for sore Irish eyes to see the defense repeatedly bring pressure and unsettle the Canes’ QB.

Against the best of what was left of the Irish starting defense, also missing starting CB DJ McKinney and S Brauntae Johnson, the Malachi Toney-less Hurricanes struggled to move the ball in the first half. A 17-3 Notre Dame lead at the interval soon became 24-3, before what could have been a key turning point in a Miami comeback. A lucky bounce turned a Miami fumble into a first-down gain, and worse for the Irish, finished with a poke in the eye for All-American CB Leonard Moore. 

With ND’s other starting CB Jayden Sanders also out for several drives, Miami quite sensibly began to pick on Moore’s replacement, Mark Zachery IV. Coach Freeman admitted midweek that it had been unfair and a mistake to expect the sophomore to come in cold and execute the same game plan as Moore, and he eventually adjusted. 

Miami showed their own depth, driving up and down the field to score three TDs in four possessions, with only a Luke Talich interception that led to Notre Dame’s final TD interrupting that run. Talich was absolutely outstanding on the night. In the first quarter, he stopped Mensah at the ND 2 when the Canes had 3rd and goal from the half-yard line. Cristobal then kicking the FG on 4th down highlighted the difference in mentality at head coach level between the two teams.

As did his post-game comments about his ACC officiating crew on the fantastic pass break-up by Talich – in the end zone on 4th down late in the fourth quarter – of an obvious incomplete pass that the Miami receiver was already bobbling. The difference with how Freeman handled the awful mistake by the Big 12 officials with 0:01 remaining in the BYU game was stark indeed. 

The temporary losses of Moore and Sanders, if anything, only served to highlight just how impressive the Irish defense was with them on the field. The pair combined for 70% of the total snaps, during which Miami gained 185 yards (3.94 YPP), scored 0 TDs and 3 points, and had an 83.3 passer rating. During the other 30% of defensive snaps, Miami gained 192 yards (8.00YPP), scored 3 TDs and 21 points, and had a 179.9 passer rating. 

To the extent that the pair can be wrapped in cotton wool until late December, Irish fans would be delighted to see plenty of opportunities for their backups in the coming weeks, game pressure permitting. 

In the meantime, Notre Dame fans can bask in the warm glow of the aftermath of toppling a #1-ranked team, just like many of the 77,622 in attendance on Saturday night did, on the field, immediately after the clocks hit 00:00. Nights like that don’t come round every year, or even decade, and are made all the sweeter by the knowledge that the Irish not only have their fate fully in their own hands but also are very realistic national title contenders.