SOUTH BEND, Indiana -- Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr delivered the best game of his career, guiding the No. 11 Irish to a 31-24 upset of top-ranked Miami and vaulting himself to the front of the Heisman Trophy race. Carr completed 29 of 40 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and no sacks, orchestrating a decisive first-half drive that flipped betting odds in his favor.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah entered the night as the Heisman favorite, but Carr's 6-of-7, 79-yard march capped by an 18-yard touchdown to Micah Gilbert with 29 seconds left in the half shifted momentum. Less than 90 seconds into the third quarter, Carr added a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 24-3.
The Hurricanes rallied with two quick touchdowns from Mensah to cut the deficit to 24-17, but Carr responded on fourth-and-2 early in the fourth quarter, finding Nolan James Jr. on a 36-yard wheel route to set up a James touchdown that made it 31-17. A late Miami drive ended with a Luke Talich pass breakup on fourth down, preserved by replay review.
"That's who CJ Carr is, man," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. "He prepares. I said this three years ago: the dude prepared like he was a starter." Carr's father, Jason, noted the transformation: "There was a boy playing out at Miami for my first start. Fourteen months later, the boy is gone."
The win marked Notre Dame's first over a No. 1 team since a double-overtime victory over Clemson six years ago. Carr became only the fifth quarterback in 30 years to top 300 passing yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in a win over the No. 1 team. The Irish now hold a 92.7% chance of reaching the College Football Playoff, per CBS Sports projections.
