Notre Dame Knocks Off No. 1 Miami: Biggest Winners for Irish

When it needed it most, Notre Dame came through with a massive win, holding off a late-charging Miami squad to knock off the top-ranked team in the nation.

Things started great, hit turbulance a little past the midway point, and ended with a party that will probably last in South Bend until the ball is kicked off against Boston College next week.

While Saturday night required every bit of the roster to pull off the 31-24 victory, a few performances and accomplishments stuck out even more than others.

Here are a handful of Notre Dame's biggest winners in Saturday night's thrilling victory.

Marcus Freeman

Notre Dame hadn't won a so-called "big game" since beating Penn State in the Orange Bowl in January of 2025. Sure, the sample size wasn't huge, but it was four-straight "big ones" that Notre Dame had lost (championship vs. Ohio State, at Miami, vs. Texas A&M, and at BYU) and all the good will Freeman had built up was in jeopardy of taking a massive hit with everything a loss would have meant on Saturday.

Those worries can go away now as, unlike against BYU this season, Notre Dame was the one that came out of the gate fast.

On a night that Notre Dame almost certainly needed a win to keep its Playoff chances alive, it got just that, and Freeman deserves huge praise for how his team got it done.

CJ Carr - Heisman Frontrunner?

CJ Carr might not have been perfect on Saturday night but he wasn't very far off. The star quarterback had gotten criticism for not performing well against BYU, and answered by being every Notre Dame needed and more against Miami.

Carr completed 29 of 40 passes for just over 300 yards and three touchdowns - averaging eight yards each time he dropped back.

Heisman favorite might be a little bit strong at this point, but Carr delivered in a massive way Saturday night, being the brightest star in not only knocking off No. 1, but also keeping its national championship hopes alive.

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Luke Talich - Underappreciated Star

Marcus Freeman essentially called veteran safety Luke Talich "a starter who just didn't begin the game on the field" when asked about the former walk-on earlier this season, and on Saturday night, Talich made one of the biggest plays.

With Miami starting to roll, it was moving the ball downfield with a chance to tie the game, not long after trailing 21 points. Then, in stepped Talich to make a massive play, intercepting a Darian Mensah pass, only the second time that has happened all season.

Notre Dame turned that into a touchdown to get the lead back to two touchdowns, and ultimately won 31-24.

Micah Gilbert's Star Shines Again

On a night that rushing yards were going to be tough to come by for the Notre Dame offense, the wide receivers needed to step up - and step up they did.

We've become used to Jordan Faison producing at a high level and his six receptions were hardly a surprise, but Micah Gilbert wound up having a massive night, catching nine passes for XXX yards and two touchdowns.

While Notre Dame's depth at wide receiver still leaves plenty to be desired, what those atop the depth chart are able to do is a significant step up compared to recent seasons.

Notre Dame's Championship Hopes

A certain percentage of the college football world was rooting for Miami on Saturday for no reason other than it would likely have ended Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes had it won.

Why is that so important? It's not just because some just don't like Notre Dame, but its because Notre Dame is a bigger threat to win the national championship than say, the fourth-best team in the Big Ten or fifth-best from the SEC.

Not only are Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes very much alive with three favorable regular season games remaining, but how they set up also lean to the Fighting Irish in a big way.

If Notre Dame closes November with wins in its final three games, you're looking at worst as a home First Round playoff game, and at best, a First Round bye.

Not only are Notre Dame's national championship hopes still alive following the win, they're well.

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