As we all wake up today, we are all still basking in the glow of Notre Dame’s 31-24 upset of No. 1 Miami on Saturday night.
It was an amazing atmosphere, one that held extra juice due to honoring Lou Holtz’s legacy after he passed away earlier this year. Plenty of familiar faces were one the sidelines to witness the massive Notre Dame win, one that has changed the outlook of the season.
Notre Dame will not enter Week 11 firmly in the picture to make the College Football Playoff, exactly what a win over the No. 1 team should do. After getting a chance to sleep on the win, here are my thoughts following the rousing Irish win over the Hurricanes.
Was this a College Football Playoff-level championship effort from Notre Dame?
We love celebrating with you, Irish Nation 💚#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/vvPzNAQ6k9
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 8, 2026
There was no doubt left
on Saturday night, and this was the exclamation point that the Irish have been looking for a few seasons. A win over the No. 1 team in the country will have Notre Dame jumping in the polls and the CFP rankings. This was a complete effort, from the defense, to the offense. There were a few warts, but the Irish overcame those. The result was what Notre Dame wanted, and while it wasn’t a complete showing, it was an extremely encouraging one.
CJ Carr is elite, outplayed Miami’s Darian Mensah
CJ Carr just handed undefeated No. 1 Miami its FIRST loss of the season.
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) November 8, 2026
27/37, 304 PASS YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT in a 31-24 win.
Carr just made a MASSIVE statement in the Heisman race. https://t.co/TtVSZ1D9Xw pic.twitter.com/iQqZiPTI7m
The two potential Heisman finalists both had great games, but it was Carr that was just a bit better than Mensah. He had more passing yards, 316 to 276, no picks to Mensah’s one, and completed a higher percentage of passes, 72.5% to 55.8%. It was an elite performance from Carr, one that the Irish needed every yard from. He’s put himself square into the conversation and should get an invite to New York City in December.
Notre Dame didn’t play a clean game, but it didn’t matter
A season-high 6 penalties for a season-high 42 penalty yards for Notre Dame tonight.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) November 8, 2026
If there was one glaringly bad aspect of this win for the Irish it was the penalties. Notre Dame committed seven for 56-yards, more than a few of them being automatic first downs extending drives. It could have been the emotions of the game, but this was very uncharacteristic of the Irish. They’ll be better going forward, but it was nice to see them stub their toe multiple times and still emerge victorious.
Boubacar Traore was a beast in the first half
Notre Dame's Boubacar Traore with the massive third-down TFL to force a Miami punt. pic.twitter.com/SjGyYjNAkd
— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) November 8, 2026
It seemed like every drive in the first half, Traore was making an impact. Pressures, tackles-for-losses, just all-around dominant play. When the Irish defense struggled in the second half, it was due to others not taking advantage of 1-on-1 matchups as the protection shifted Traore’s way. The defensive struggles in the second half had a lot to do with Traore being quiet but did make his mark on the final play. This will be help later in the season with others stepping up, as the Irish try to vie for a title.
The perfect game to tribute to Lou Holtz
For U, Lou 🙌#GoIrish☘️ | @FightingIrish pic.twitter.com/YY782l7UVX
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 8, 2026
The history between Miami and Notre Dame made its biggest splash when Holtz was the coach for the “Catholics vs. Convicts” game in 1988, propelling the Irish to the title. Could this game have the same effect? It surely could, and wouldn’t it be poetic if Notre Dame broke its title drought the year it beats the Hurricanes and with Holtz passing? It would be.
Luke Talich has been unbelievable
Where is Notre Dame tonight without Luke Talich? pic.twitter.com/kBwN3jLdcX
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) November 8, 2026
If you had Talich making this kind of impact on your bingo card for the 2026 season, you might as well go buy a lottery ticket right now. No one expected him to have this big of an impact, especially considering he wasn’t even viewed as a starter entering the year. Sure, he’s had more than his fare share of big moments in his career, but this was different. The impact Talich had on Saturday night will go down in Irish lure. What a game from the senior, who is showing that he could play at the next level.
The Notre Dame fan wristbands were awesome
Notre Dame’s new LED wristbands: very cool. pic.twitter.com/N1oYIPrw7a
— Jack Soble (@jacksoble56) November 8, 2026
This might be the future of college football, as I don’t recall seeing any other team do this. The Irish handed out LED wristbands fans, who wore them and made a unique light show. Getting the crowd involved made it even more exciting, as the fan experience was most likely through the roof. Awesome game and show from Notre Dame on Saturday night.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Morning after: Thoughts on Notre Dame’s massive upset of No. 1 Miami
