No. 10 Miami battled No. 6 Notre Dame at home to face the Irish in an exciting Week 1 thriller. The anticipation was high for both teams as new quarterbacks led the way. However, the result favored the convicts as Miami pulled away, 27-24.
The game provided a couple of critical points of analysis, but the major question is whether this is more of a Miami win or a Notre Dame loss. One could view it from both angles.
Here are some of my observations from a Saturday night thriller…
Miami offense and Carson Beck shine
We need to stop disrespecting Carson Beck like he is the captain of the JV squad. This is arguably one, if not the best, quarterback in college football. Yes, I said it.
Carson Beck proved to be a viable dual-threat quarterback at Georgia and was asked to play an even more significant role following the departure of Stetson Bennett for the NFL Draft two years ago. Last season, Beck struggled far more after throwing a career-high 12 interceptions.
Beck then went down with a UCL injury in the SEC Championship, requiring surgery and keeping him sidelined for the remainder of the year. Beck decided to jump in the transfer portal and landed with Miami, where he was paired with Mario Cristobal.
I think it’s understated just how well Cristobal and Offensive Coordinator Shannon Dawson do with transfer quarterbacks. Following the impact that Cameron Ward had last season, Carson Beck put forth a performance showcasing a similar impact. This Miami offense picked apart a rather inexperienced Notre Dame defense.
The Irish’s biggest strong point on the defensive side of the ball is the secondary. Returning both Christian Gray and Leonard Moore was a major plus for Chris Ash in his first year as Defensive Coordinator. But Shannon Dawson and Carson Beck went right at them. Malachi Toney accounted for 6 receptions, 82 yards, and a touchdown. Additionally, Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown each totalled 15 carries, and the Hurricanes ran for 127 yards.
It was a very aggressive offensive attack that finished with 332 yards of total offense. Notre Dame had a lot of trouble stopping this offense when it mattered most, and Miami largely capitalized on having Carson Beck behind center.
Carson Beck went for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns, while completing 21 of 30 passes. Pretty good stuff for week 1 with a brand new team, after coming off a surgery on your throwing elbow.
Concerns for Jeremiyah Love?
The most glaring storyline of the ND offense was not CJ Carr; it was the running back with Heisman-level hype, Jeremiyah Love. As likely the best overall player on the roster—and one of the best in the nation—it was certainly puzzling to see Love’s workload so unaccounted for.
Notre Dame found itself in a hole early on, and for a bizarre, unknown reason, Mike Denbrock abandoned the run game and seemingly forgot about his best weapon. Love’s production went completely unnoticed in the first half of play, and it wasn’t until the Irish found itself down by 14, late in the third quarter, when Love finally received some carries.
It appeared Notre Dame was trying to establish the pass game ahead of the run game, and that was a miserable failure. As a rookie quarterback, it should’ve been expected that CJ Carr would make mistakes, and he did. But, it was apparent that Denbrock was almost forcing Carr out of these errors and called for a heavy passing attack. Through the highs and lows, Carr played a solid game for a rookie on the road, but without Jeremiyah Love’s dominance, this team misses a game-changing utility.
Moving forward, I would hope Notre Dame can see this and allow the passing game to follow the running game. Even Jadarian Price had a couple of explosive runs, and these short glimpses showed the blueprint that the Irish should be following.
Quite simply, 10 carries for 33 yards is not going to cut it. Especially for a guy as dynamic as Love.
The inconsistency will eventually figure itself out, and I will continue to hold a lot of trust in CJ Carr, but Jeremiyah Love MUST be more involved if Notre Dame wants a crack at reaching the Playoffs again.
Moving forward
The AP rankings were published today, and it wasn’t much of a shock to see where Miami and Notre Dame landed. With this victory, the Hurricanes have cemented themselves as the frontrunner in the ACC as Mario Cristobal’s squad now sits at No.5 in the country.
Notre Dame finds itself sandwiched between Clemson and South Carolina while owning the rights to the No.9 spot.
Miami will truly be tested in a couple weeks having to face No.13 Florida and No.14 Florida State in back-to-back outings. On the other hand, Notre Dame will have an even faster turnaround having to face No.19 Texas A&M at home.
This is not a season-defining win or loss for either of the two teams. But the coming weeks will largely prove the legitimacy behind Miami and Notre Dame.