UHND.com - Notre Dame Football, Basketball, & Recruiting

With some help from Google Gemini:

To be clear, this is very much a “best case scenario”, if most everything goes right. I have faith in our coaches and players that they can play to this standard! (And sorry if the story didn't include your favorite player).

*Fighting Irish Silence the ‘Canes in South Florida*

​Miami Gardens, FL – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish opened their 2025 campaign with a resounding 31-17 victory over the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night. While the late August humidity hung heavy in the air, it was the Notre Dame defense that proved suffocating for the Miami offense, and the Irish offense that provided the fireworks to send the home crowd into an early silence.

​From the opening whistle, the Notre Dame defensive line, with some timely linebacker pressures, exposed Miami’s highly-rated offensive line, consistently pressuring Miami quarterback Carson Beck. This relentless pressure led to multiple errant throws, short completions, and ultimately costly turnovers, including Beck’s first of the season on Miami’s side of the field, a ball tipped by Jason Onye and caught by a diving Jaylon Ausberry. 3 plays later, highly touted first-time starting quarterback CJ Carr found TE Eli Raridon streaking up the middle of the field for Carr’s first career touchdown, causing an uneasy silence at the stadium.

The Irish front 7, spearheaded by Boubacar Traore (1.5 sacks and a forced fumble) pressured Beck throughout the game, with eye opening plays made by Jason Onye, Captain Drayk Bowen, Jaylon Sneed, and Sophomore Kingston Villiamu-Asa, all of whom forced Beck and Miami’s running game into uncomfortable situations, accounting for 3 sacks and multiple tackles for loss, disrupting Miami’s offensive rhythm throughout the contest.

​Offensively, Notre Dame operated a balanced and efficient attack. Quarterback CJ Carr, in his highly anticipated debut, connected with a variety of targets early, showcasing the Irish’s improved receivers, including Wisconsin transfer Will Pauling who made several key grabs to move the Irish down the field. Carr took a deep shot to Virginia transfer Malachi Fields on the second play of the game, which Fields nearly reeled in, and unsurprisingly led to Fields seeing bracketed attention from the Miami secondary for the remainder of the contest. Having Fields doubled didn’t hamper the Notre Dame offense, however, which mixed in several effective runs and short passes on its opening drive, but was forced to kick a FG after a (very questionable) offensive holding call.

​The Irish ground game proved as dynamic as expected, with both Jeremiah Love and Jadarian Price contributing electrifying runs. The duo finished with 187 rushing yards on the day. Their versatility as both runners and pass-catchers kept the Miami defense guessing and added another dimension to the Notre Dame attack.
​The once-raucous Miami crowd saw their enthusiasm wane early in the second quarter. When Notre Dame, leading 3-0, saw CJ Carr connect with Love on a 32-yard touchdown pass on a short slant pass over the middle. Love proved elusive after the catch, making two Miami defenders miss in space before strolling into the end zone, extending the Irish lead to 10-3 and visibly quieting the home faithful.

Following an interception by Carr on an errant deep ball late in the 2nd quarter on an apparent miscommunication with Fields, Miami pulled closer with a FG to end the 2nd quarter.

​Any realistic hope for a Miami comeback was effectively dashed midway through the third quarter. With the ‘Canes trailing 17-10, Notre Dame defensive end Boubacar Traore broke through the Miami offensive line to sack Carson Beck, forcing a fumble. Linebacker Jaylon Sneed scooped up the loose ball and raced into the end zone for a Notre Dame touchdown, pushing the score to 24-10. Beck appeared visibly shaken after the play and did not return to the game.

The teams exchanged touchdowns late in the 4th quarter for a final score of 31-17, with Eli Raridon grabbing his 2nd touchdown of the game in the corner of the end zone on a beautiful ball by Carr. The Irish celebration, combined with the consistent dominance of the Irish defense, sent droves of Hurricanes fans heading for the exits, their early season optimism replaced by the reality of a dominant Notre Dame performance. The Fighting Irish will return to South Bend riding high after a statement victory on the road.

GO IRISH, BEAT ‘CANES!