CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as No 4 Notre Dame avenged their most damaging loss of last season, racing to a 21-point lead before holding on to beat top-ranked Miami 31-24 on Saturday night.

Micah Gilbert caught two of Carr’s touchdown passes, Jordan Faison had the other and Nolan James Jr added a rushing score for Notre Dame (8-1, No 11 College Football Playoff), who entered the game knowing another defeat to Miami could derail their national championship hopes.

The Hurricanes (8-1, No 1 CFP) started slowly on offense in their first game without injured wide receiver and Heisman Trophy hopeful Malachi Toney. Notre Dame, whose 27-24 loss to Miami last season ultimately kept them out of the playoff, never trailed.

“I’m happy for this university,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said in a televised on-field interview. “I’m happy for our players. There’s a lot of support from Notre Dame Nation and this is special moment for them. ... They’re a dang good football team and they beat a dang good football team.”

Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes for Miami, twice bringing the Hurricanes within seven points after they had trailed 24-3 early in the third quarter. Cooper Barkate caught two of those passes, while Elija Lofton had the other.

Lofton nearly hauled in another touchdown that would have made it 31-30 – the same score as the teams’ famous 1988 meeting – with 3:36 remaining. He appeared to make a fourth-down catch in the end zone and get both feet down, but Notre Dame’s Luke Talich, who had intercepted Mensah in the third quarter, knocked the ball away.

Officials ruled that Lofton had not completed the catch. Notre Dame took over on downs, ran the clock down to about a minute and held on for the victory.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal said he was “beyond upset” that Lofton’s apparent catch had not been ruled a touchdown.

“Obviously, a tough loss to take,” Cristobal said. “Proud of our players for the resilience. ... Don’t leave it in the hands of the officials. Play better. Coach better. Find a way to win.”

Miami’s defeat left just two unbeaten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision: Utah and UCLA, who both improved to 9-0 with victories on Saturday. It marked the first time since 2003 that only two teams had made it through their first nine games unbeaten, when TCU and Oklahoma achieved the feat.

A capacity crowd packed Notre Dame Stadium on a bitterly cold night, with temperatures falling from 40F at kickoff into the mid-30s. Forty-three NFL scouts were also in attendance as the Irish delivered their biggest victory of the season.

Miami had a chance to cut into Notre Dame’s lead in the second quarter after reaching first-and-goal at the Irish one-yard line. But three rushing attempts – one by Mark Fletcher Jr and two quarterback keepers by Mensah – went nowhere, forcing the Hurricanes to settle for a field goal.

Miami trailed 17-3 at halftime, having scored at least 14 first-half points and averaged 27 before the break in their first eight games.

Notre Dame also pulled out all the stops for the occasion, honoring a host of former stars including Joe Montana, Jerome Bettis Sr, Tony Rice, Chris Zorich, Ricky Watters and Ron Powlus. NBA president of basketball operations Byron Spruell was among those recognized, along with Pat Murphy, manager of the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers and a former Notre Dame baseball coach.

The victory carried historical echoes of Notre Dame’s famous 31-30 upset of top-ranked Miami in the 1988 “Catholics vs Convicts” game. The Hurricanes fell to 44-7 all-time when ranked No 1 in the AP Top 25, including an 0-2 record against the Irish.

Notre Dame improved to 10-17-1 against No 1 teams, claiming their first such victory in exactly six years. Their previous win came against top-ranked Clemson on 7 November 2020, when the Tigers were without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

The Irish host Boston College next Saturday, while Miami return home to face Duke.