Notre Dame Beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 as Carr Throws Three Touchdowns in South Bend Upset

No. 11 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Notre Dame entered the game 7-1. Miami entered 8-0 and undefeated. The South Bend Tribune posted the final at 11:07 p.m. ET and reported that a last-second Miami rally fell short.

Carr builds a 24-3 lead

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr finished 29 of 40 for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah finished 24 of 43 for 302 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, but most of his production came after halftime.

Carr threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Faison early in the second quarter for a 10-0 lead. He threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Micah Gilbert with 29 seconds left in the first half for 17-3, and a 20-yard touchdown pass to Gilbert early in the third quarter for 24-3. Gilbert caught two of the three touchdown passes.

Miami was held to a 19-yard Jake Weinberg field goal in the first half after a Notre Dame goal line stand from inside the 1-yard line. Notre Dame outgained Miami 251-145 in the first half, and Mensah threw for only 49 yards before halftime. Notre Dame led 3-0 after the first quarter and 17-3 at the break.

Miami rallies, Talich closes the door

Miami scored twice in the third quarter. Mensah threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Elija Lofton and a 12-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Barkate to cut the lead to 24-17.

Luke Talich intercepted Mensah late in the third quarter, and Notre Dame turned the takeaway into points. Carr hit Nolan James Jr. for 36 yards on fourth down, and James ran in from 1 yard for a 31-17 lead with 12:55 left in the fourth quarter.

Mensah threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Barkate with 9:53 left to make it 31-24. Barkate caught nine passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Talich then broke up a fourth-and-6 pass to Lofton with 3:20 left, a play that looked like a possible tying touchdown. Miami got the ball back after Spencer Porath missed a 53-yard field goal, but the final rally fell short.

Miami played without star wide receiver Malachi Toney, who injured an ankle in practice during the week.

Playoff weight

The win carries major College Football Playoff weight for Notre Dame. The South Bend Tribune reported that Notre Dame's final three regular season games are against Boston College, SMU and Syracuse. Miami beat Notre Dame 27-24 in the 2025 season opener and took the final playoff spot over the Irish last season. This time the Irish took the head-to-head result, at home, against the No. 1 team in the country.