SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — For Notre Dame, this season comes with a mantra of “leave no doubt.”
For Miami, there is now doubt.
A game that has been hyped for months — No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame — awaits Saturday night, a rematch from last season's contest that got the Hurricanes into the College Football Playoff and kept the Fighting Irish out. But the Hurricanes lost top receiver Malachi Toney this week to an ankle injury, a huge blow to a Miami team
facing a ranked opponent for the first time this season.
“They’ve got great players,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Thursday. “I’m not saying one person’s going to replace Malachi Toney, but they have a lot of great players on their team and they’re going to find ways to get their best players on the field.”
For both sides, the stakes are enormous. Miami (8-0, No. 1 CFP) could send a serious message if it finds a way to win at Notre Dame Stadium without Toney — who had been a Heisman Trophy favorite entering the week, then had surgery on Thursday with hopes of returning this season. Notre Dame (7-1, No. 11 CFP) knows its margin of error is now slim, after being lower than many thought in the initial playoff rankings.
"Obviously, everyone knows it’s a big game. We all know that," Notre Dame offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp said. “We kind of see it as a great opportunity. It’s a great challenge to reach our full potential."
And there's also the rivalry aspect. The “Catholics vs. Convicts” showdown in South Bend in 1988. A third-and-43 converted for a first down by Miami. The Hurricanes running it up in a 58-7 win to end the Gerry Faust coaching era. Notre Dame ending Miami's national title hopes with a win in 1990.
“I would say that probably the biggest focus for us is to make sure that the focus stays on the preparation part," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. "I think the juice in games like this, it’s going to be through the roof for everybody — fan bases, the entire country, and that is awesome. But the most important part is our preparation.”
That preparation had to be adjusted midweek; Toney got hurt in practice Wednesday. Even that won't take the buzz off this one, a game that has been eagerly awaited for months and has Notre Dame aiming to prove a point after falling to Miami last season — or, in other words, leave no doubt.
“You have to treat every game the same," Miami quarterback and Heisman Trophy contender Darian Mensah said. "For me, I think every game is my Super Bowl. I try to go out there and do what I need to do to achieve the stuff I want to achieve.”
The big question: How does Miami handle being without Toney?
Cooper Barkate figures to be part of the answer. The former Duke receiver, who transferred to Miami with Mensah after they led the Blue Devils to last season's Atlantic Coast Conference title, is likely to assume a bigger role this week.
And it's very possible that the running back corps, led by Mark Fletcher Jr., is asked to do more.
“They've got a great running backs room,” Freeman said.
The Hurricanes were already underdogs going into this week. The news of Toney's injury made them even bigger ones, with lines quickly moving from Notre Dame being favored by 6.5 points to 8.5 points at many sportsbooks.
Miami has now gone just over three years without losing a game by more than a touchdown. The Hurricanes lost 20-6 to N.C. State on Nov. 4, 2023. They've gone 32-9 since; the average margin of defeat in those nine losses was 5.1 points.
Voters in the AP Top 25 think highly of Notre Dame, with the Irish currently ranked No. 4 in the poll. Notre Dame is one of only two teams that has been ranked in the Top 5 all season; Georgia is the other.
The CFP committee doesn't have the same view. Notre Dame was ranked No. 11 in the initial CFP rankings, meaning it would be the last at-large team into the playoff field if the bracket was being filled out entering this week. And a loss at home to a Miami team without Toney probably won't help the Irish hopes of securing a CFP spot.
“Notre Dame has a great opportunity in front of them at home against the No. 1 team in our CFP ranking this weekend to get that signature win,” CFP selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek said.
Freeman didn't seem affected by the No. 11 CFP rank.
“It reminds you, get back in the moment,” Freeman said. “Win this moment. It don’t matter. It don’t matter today, at least.”
Notre Dame leads the all-time series 18-9-1, including a 9-1 mark inside of Notre Dame Stadium. Saturday's game will mark the 11th instance of the teams meeting with both in the AP rankings.
Forecasters say it'll be a crisp fall night in South Bend. That's great for the Irish. For Miami, maybe not.
It still feels like summer in South Florida, with temperatures this week in the mid-80s. It could be in the low-to-mid 40s at kickoff on Saturday night.
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