The College Football Playoff committee stated that US LBM Coaches Poll No. 6 Notre Dame was low in their rankings due to not having a signature win yet this season.
On Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium, the Fighting Irish – No. 11 in the CFP rankings – secured the biggest signature win they could have following a 31-24 upset over top-ranked Miami.
As Notre Dame fans flooded the field, a confident Marcus Freeman held his postgame interview with NBC Sports.
“I’m happy for this University, and I’m happy for our players,” Freeman said as fans surrounded and cheered behind the coach. “There’s a lot of support from Notre Dame nation, and this is a special moment for them. I’m so happy for our players because they’ve put in a lot of work to achieve
this (win). They’re a dang football team and they beat a dang good football team.”
The Irish led 17-3 at the half. Notre Dame bulked its lead to 24-3 in the third quarter when quarterback CJ Carr connected with receiver Micah Gilbert on a 20-yard pass in the end zone.
Miami QB Darian Mensah threw back-to-back touchdown passes to Elija Lofton and Cooper Barkate to cut the deficit to 24-17 late in the third.
The Irish, however, got a rushing TD from Nolan James Jr. and some crucial defensive stops down the stretch to solidify the win.
“When it mattered the most, we executed,” Freeman said. “It got a little ugly in that second half. We talked about this moment before the game...at some point in the game, there’s going to be a struggle. I told them I don’t know when it’s going to be, but they battled through and executed.”
Notre Dame and Miami are now both 8-1 on the season. The Irish will host Boston College next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
“They beat a dang good football team.” 🗣️
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 8, 2026
Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman joins Kathryn Tappen after a THRILLING upset of No. 1 Miami.
📺 Notre Dame Football on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/vcvqdPo9rz
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Freeman after ND’s upset over Miami: ‘Beat a dang good football team’
