A raucous Hard Rock Stadium, filled in orange, roared as the clock ticked under 30 seconds in the game.
On their own 30-yard line, redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr and Notre Dame’s offense looked to pull off a miracle, trailing by three.
Carr fielded the snap cleanly, but Miami’s defensive pressure was too much as defensive linemen Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor stormed Carr, forcing the sack and sealing the deal for the Hurricanes.
The clock hit zero, and UM fans exhaled a sigh of relief as the No. 10 Hurricanes took down the No. 6 Fighting Irish 27-24 in a Sunday night thriller.
“Sometimes domination takes place at the final play of the game, as crazy as that sounds,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said following the game.
Senior linebacker Wesley Bissainthe had high praise and confidence in his team following the big play and victory.
“Bain and Mesidor, they do that every day in practice. I see it all the time,” Bissainthe said.
“I knew one of them was gonna come clutch, if not both.”
In a matchup of two top-10 teams, a rivalry was renewed after an eight-year hiatus. And despite being the underdog, Miami wasn’t fazed.
The ’Canes stayed resilient, faced adversity, and fed off the crowd noise.
66,793 fans sold out Hard Rock Stadium, marking a record. The crowd energized the players and made a difference in Sunday night’s victory.
“This game, this victory, is for everybody. It’s for our university, our players, our students, alumni, former players, Coach [Jimmy] Johnson,” Cristobal said.
The game was a testament to hard work and great plays, one of which happened just under two minutes left in the game.
After holding a 14-7 lead in the first half, the Irish outscored the Hurricanes 17-3 in the second half. ND tied the game following a 65-yard pass from Carr to Eli Raridon and a seven-yard touchdown run from Carr.
With three minutes remaining, Miami was in search of taking back the lead, hoping quarterback Carson Beck could step up late.
The Georgia transfer marched the Hurricanes down the field on a 10-play drive, putting the team in a fourth and three on Notre Dame’s 29-yard line.
Cristobal called on FAU transfer Carter Davis to kick the go-ahead 47-yard field goal. Despite the pressure, the senior kicker delivered, splitting the uprights to give Miami a 27-24 lead.
Even though there were worries about Miami’s kickers coming into the game, Cristobal had full confidence in Davis.
“A lot of confidence here for Carter. In practice, he hits them at 55 plus, actually two 63-yarders,” Cristobal said. “So we have a lot of confidence in him.”
Davis acknowledged that it was a tough journey to get the nod as the starting kicker.
“It means the world,” Davis said. “ When I found out that I got it, I cried. I’ll be honest. But I was just so ecstatic about that. It meant the world.”
Late in the second quarter, Miami was in search of points of a big score before halftime.
On second down from the Notre Dame 20-yard line, Beck, under duress and off-balance, sent a prayer to receiver CJ Daniels. In between two defenders, the LSU transfer made an incredible one-handed grab in the endzone to give Miami a 14-7 lead.
Daniels finished the night with five receptions for 46 yards, including a touchdown.
Beck distributed the ball methodically today, but usage-wise, 17-year-old true freshman Malachi Toney was his favorite.
Toney shone bright under the night sky in his collegiate debut, where on second and 10 on Notre Dame’s 28, Beck rolled left and hit Toney in the front of the endzone.
The touchdown marked Beck’s first touchdown pass as a Hurricane and Toney’s first collegiate touchdown reception.
Toney would finish his debut with six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.
“Malachi Toney, he’s special. Been trying to keep him a secret, but it didn’t take long, right?” Cristobal said. “And what’s special about Malachi, to me, is his approach to the game. That guy approaches the game as if he’s a 5-6 year NFL veteran.”
It was also a solid night for Miami’s running back room.
Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for 66 yards on 15 carries and CharMar “Marty” Brown, on the same number of carries, had 54 yards, but his hard-nose runs paid dividends in the end game.
Carson Beck’s supporting cast performed well, but it shouldn’t undermine the Georgia transfers’ Hurricane Debut. He threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns, going 20-of-31 passing.
“The past eight months have been so hard. I’m just so blessed to be out here to have the opportunity to be out there,” said Beck after the game.
Major talks this offseason included a need for an improved defense. Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman saw improvements in his defense tonight.
The defense already looked better than it did last year. Bissainthe noted postgame that the difference is night and day.
“[Corey Hetherman’s] level of teaching, his level of communication, his scheme, his intensity, like he was a game changer for us today, and you can see why the players love him and what he brings to the table makes everybody around him better,” said coach Cristobal.
They were able to hold the run game under 100 yards. Two of the best running backs in the country, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, combined for 93 yards.
Carr, the redshirt freshman, did have a good game for the Fighting Irish, throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-30 passing.
Week one marks the beginning of a long season, but Cristobal was grateful for this opportunity.
“Just an unbelievable night. Unbelievable night for so many people who poured so much into this. Just grateful to be in this opportunity and really hungry and driven to get our opportunity at the next one,” said coach Cristobal.
It’s a one week at a time mentality for Hurricanes football. With Sunday night’s win comes a new opponent to get ready for next week. Miami will be back at Hard Rock Stadium to face Bethune-Cookman at 7 p.m.
