SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Marcus Freeman didn't deny the obvious. Even for a storied program like Notre Dame Fighting Irish, beating Miami had enormous significance.

If that wasn't enough, it kept Notre Dame's national title hopes alive as well.

CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 4 Notre Dame avenged its most damaging loss from last season by running out to a 21-point lead and holding on to beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night.

Micah Gilbert caught two of Carr's scoring passes, Jordan Faison had the other and Nolan James Jr. had a rushing score for Notre Dame (8-1, No. 11 College Football Playoff), which came into the game knowing another loss to Miami could doom its CFP chances.

“It’s a special moment,” said Freeman, Notre Dame's coach. “Enjoy the moment, because tomorrow when you wake up it’s time to get ready for the next one. I know it’s a big one. This is big. This is special. I’m not going to sit here and say this was like the other ones. No, this is different.”

The Hurricanes (8-1, No. 1 CFP) started slowly on offense in their first game without injured wide receiver and Heisman Trophy hopeful Malachi Toney - and Notre Dame, which lost to Miami 27-24 last season in a game that ultimately kept the Irish out of the playoff, never trailed.

“Our backs were against the wall,” said Irish defensive back Luke Talich, who had an interception and a critical - and disputed - pass breakup to help seal the win.

Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes for Miami, twice getting the Hurricanes within a touchdown after they trailed 24-3 early in the third. Cooper Barkate had a pair of those scoring grabs, and Elija Lofton had the other.

“Proud of the guys, the way we fought back,” Mensah said. “Obviously, it wasn't enough.”

Lofton nearly had a touchdown catch that would have made it 31-30 - the score of the Miami-Notre Dame game in 1988 - with 3:36 left, appearing to make a fourth-down grab in the end zone and getting his feet down.

But Notre Dame's Luke Talich - who had an interception in the third quarter - knocked the ball away, with officials ruling that Lofton didn't complete the grab. Notre Dame took over on downs, ran the clock down to about a minute and held on from there.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal said he was “beyond upset” that Lofton's play wasn't ruled a score.

“Obviously, a tough loss to take,” Cristobal said. “Proud of our players for the resilience. ... Don't leave it in the hands of the officials. Play better. Coach better. Find a way to win.”

With Miami falling, only two unbeaten teams remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision - Utah and UCLA, which both moved to 9-0 on Saturday. This is the first time since 2003 that only two teams made it through the first nine games unbeaten; TCU and Oklahoma did it that year.

On a night when 43 NFL scouts were part of a jam-packed crowd at Notre Dame Stadium, where it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff and fell into the mid-30s as the night went along, the Irish stayed true to their mantra for 2026 - one born from the frustration from not making the CFP field a year ago.

They left no doubt. It got a little shaky at the end, but the Irish's CFP hopes are very much alive.

“As good a win as I’ve ever been a part of,” Freeman said. “As special of a moment, as special of an outcome that I’ve been a part of since I’ve been the head coach here.”

Miami: Miami had first-and-goal from the Notre Dame 1 in the second quarter and wound up settling for a field goal, after three runs - one by Fletcher and two keepers by Mensah - went nowhere. The Hurricanes wound up trailing 17-3 at halftime, after scoring at least 14 points and averaging 27 first-half points in their first eight contests this season.

Notre Dame: The Irish pulled out all the stops, with a slew of former stars - Joe Montana, Jerome Bettis Sr., Tony Rice, Chris Zorich, Ricky Watters, Ron Pawlus and NBA President of Basketball Operations Byron Spruell among them - for on-field tributes. Also honored was Pat Murphy, the manager of the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers, who won 73% of his games when he coached at Notre Dame.

Miami fell to 44-7 when playing as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, including an 0-2 mark against Notre Dame - after the top-ranked Hurricanes lost to the fourth-ranked Irish 31-30 in the “Catholics vs. Convicts” game in 1988.

Notre Dame improved to 10-17-1 against No. 1 teams, getting its first win in exactly six years. It beat No. 1 Clemson at home on Nov. 7, 2020, a game where the Tigers were without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Miami: Hosts Duke next Saturday.

Notre Dame: Hosts Boston College next Saturday.

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