The top-ranked Miami Hurricanes lost their first game of the season Saturday night, falling 31-24 to No. 11 Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana.
Notre Dame led 17-3 at halftime and was up 24-3 in the third quarter, but Miami cut the deficit to 24-17 and then 31-24 late in the game. The Hurricanes had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minutes, but quarterback Darian Mensah was sacked on the first play of his last series, and a trick play ended with a fumble that Notre Dame recovered.
Miami managed only 145 total yards in the first half, compared with 251 for Notre Dame. Mensah finished 24 of 43 for 276 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Receiver Cooper Barkate caught two touchdown passes, and Elija Lofton set a career high with 113 receiving yards and a touchdown before he was hurt on a pass play in the third quarter.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr went 29 of 40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Micah Gilbert had two scores.
Miami, now 8-1, hosts Duke (7-2) next Saturday at noon. Notre Dame, also 8-1, plays Boston College (4-5) at home Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
