theRECAP Report: Notre Dame

Nov. 7, 2026 - Miami’s rally comes up short, losing to Notre Dame, 31-24, in South Bend on Saturday night.

Notre Dame (8-1) started fast and led 24-3 early in the third quarter. But Miami (8-1, 6-0 ACC) didn’t give up and rallied to close the gap to 31-24 in the fourth quarter. However, the Irish held on for the victory.

It appeared the Canes scored the tying touchdown late in the final period on a pass from Darian Mensah to Elijah Lofton. But the referees rule he did not catch the ball inbounds. Miami had to settle for a field. From that point, both teams battled feroshly and Miami took its first loss of the season.

The Canes finished with 377 total yards of offense, compared to 412 yards for the Irish. Mensah, after a cold first half, rallied the offense, throwing for 276 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Wide receiver Cooper Barkate caught 10 passes for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tight end Elija Lofton caught 7 passes to lead all receivers with 113 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Mark Fletcher led Miami’s rushing attack with 57 yards on 13 carries (4.4 YPC). Linebacker Mo Toure led the Canes’ defense with 12 tackles.

Miami returns home to host Duke in the first of three games at Hard Rock Stadium to close out the regular season.

BOTTOM LINE:

In a classic rivalry game, Miami didn’t give up and made the outcome interesting. However, it was too little, too late to beat a really good team.

GO CANES!