In 2024, the Miami Hurricanes had a historic offense, yet the team missed the College Football Playoff because their defense was almost just as historic in the worst way possible. Mario Cristobal cleaned house, bringing in Corey Heatherman from Minnesota, and he got to overhaul the roster, building a defense he can compete with.
The first test for the Miami Hurricanes came in the form of the 6th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, coming off a trip to the National Championship Game. This isn't the same Notre Dame team as they replace their starting quarterback Riley Leonard but, do return a loaded group of running backs and built an impressive receiving core.
Miami was able to beat Notre Dame 27-24 and while the score won't stand out as an incredible defensive performance, what the Hurricanes were able to do speaks to how great the turnaround of this unit is going to be.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have arguably the best running back tandem in the Country in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price which could demolish any team. Instead, the Hurricanes held them to a combined 78 yards while making Jeremiyah Love look like an average Joe rather than a Heisman contender.
As they took away the rushing attack, the offense of Notre Dame ended up needing to rely on first-time starter CJ Carr, which is exactly what they wanted. Carr completed 19 of 30 passes for 221 yards with 3 total touchdowns and an interception in this game. The Hurricanes had a coverage bust once, but otherwise, they took the big play ability away from the Irish in this game.
When Notre Dame tried to make one last push to tie this game, the Hurricanes' pass rush completely swallowed up CJ Carr. Last season, Rueben Bain Jr took a step, but in this game, he was a monster, doing a little bit of everything, stopping the run, sacking Carr, and even getting a massive interception.
Rueben Bain Jr. AND Akheem Mesidor pic.twitter.com/v3iUpJamE9
— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) September 1, 2025
The overall numbers may not speak to a dominant performance by the Miami defense but, this game was all the Hurricanes fanbase could ask for. This game may be the biggest test this defense faces and as all these transfers continue to gel, this unit is only going to continue to grow.
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