On January 9, 2025, Notre Dame played in the Orange Bowl, where they defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions, 27-24, inside Hard Rock Stadium. Sunday will mark the second time that Notre Dame will play in Miami Gardens, Florida, in 2025. This time, Notre Dame will be facing an old foe, the Miami Hurricanes.
Notre Dame last played a true road game at Miami in 2017, where they suffered a shakedown to the tune of 41-8. In fact, Notre Dame hasn’t won at Miami since 1977. However, that was then; this is now. This year the Fighting Irish will be storming South Beach with the reigning Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year, Marcus Freeman, as well as a team deep with talent across the board.
Matchup Summary
| Matchup | Edge |
|---|---|
| QB CJ Carr vs. QB Carson Beck | Miami |
| Bryce Young/Boubacar Traore vs. Markel Bell | Notre Dame |
| Motivation: Notre Dame vs. Miami | Tie |
| Notre Dame Offense vs. Miami Defense | Notre Dame |
| Notre Dame Secondary vs. Miami Wide Receivers | Notre Dame |
QB CJ Carr vs. QB Carson Beck
This will be Carr’s first start at quarterback for Notre Dame. If he completes a pass, that will also be his first at Notre Dame. The redshirt freshman finished his senior season at Saline High School with 2,754 yards passing and 24 touchdowns. He also rushed for 91 yards on 59 carries, including nine touchdowns. Carr was a consensus four-star recruit and the top prospect in the state of Michigan. The question entering Sunday’s game is whether the moment will be too big for Carr. Facing a team like Miami while playing in front of a nationwide audience will be unlike anything Carr has ever experienced in high school.
Meanwhile, Miami added Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck. Unlike Carr, the seasoned Beck has seen it all at the collegiate level. Moreover, the last time Beck played in Hard Rock Stadium was in the Orange Bowl in 2023, where he passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs defeated Florida State, 63-3. That marked the largest margin of defeat in FBS bowl game history.
Edge: Miami
Bryce Young/Boubacar Traore vs. Markel Bell
Young and Traore should cause fits for the Miami offensive line, particularly against Bell. Prior to suffering a season-ending injury in week four of the 2024 season, Traore led all FBS freshmen in sacks (three) and sacks per game. As a true freshman, Young played in every game last season, finishing with 23 tackles. Young completed his senior season of high school with 14 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, and 18 tackles for loss. Being a year older, Young will be bigger, stronger, and wiser, which should make for significant progress in 2025.
Bell, a former junior-college transfer, made his first start for the Hurricanes last season. Listed at 6’9, 340 lbs., Bell certainly provides a presence to the stout Miami offensive line, but his game film shows some lack of mobility that can be taken advantage of. He appears to be stiff and in slow motion at times, which is something Notre Dame’s elusive defensive linemen should be able to exploit.
Edge: Notre Dame
Motivation: Notre Dame vs. Miami
On December 3, 1977, Notre Dame beat Miami 48-10. That was the last time the Irish won a true road game against the Hurricanes. One would think that would be enough motivation for a program heading into a game against its rival. That is not all for this Notre Dame team, however, as it will also be looking to prove last season’s success wasn’t a fluke. The same cannot be said for Notre Dame’s 2012 national title game appearance, as the Irish followed that season up with a 9-4 record the following year.
Meanwhile, Miami will be hungry to make an appearance in the College Football Playoff for the first time. The Hurricanes were the odd man out in 2024 after being upset at Syracuse 42-38 in the final game of the season. Holding a record of 17-25 against AP Top 25 teams, Miami’s head coach, Mario Cristobal, will be motivated to prove that he can win big games and is simply not just a good recruiter. This game will be pivotal for his future in Miami.
Edge: Tie
Notre Dame Offense vs. Miami Defense
The Hurricanes ranked 70th in scoring defense a season ago, which put added pressure on Miami’s offense to win games for them. To remedy that, the Hurricanes added new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman to their staff, as well as three players to their secondary and two to their defensive line from the transfer portal.
Across the line of scrimmage, Notre Dame will have a redshirt freshman starting his first game at quarterback. However, he has been in offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s system for two years. Combine that experience with arguably the best running back room in college football, along with a top-five offensive line group, and that should be more than enough to find success against a makeshift Miami defense still trying to find chemistry.
Edge: Notre Dame
Notre Dame Secondary vs. Miami Wide Receivers
Even after losing two pillars in safety Xavier Watts and cornerback Benjamin Morrison to the NFL, Notre Dame should not show much of a drop-off in 2025 when it comes to pass defense. The Irish will be returning starters Christian Gray and Adon Shuler, as well as preseason All-American Leonard Moore. For added assurance, Notre Dame added a commitment out of the transfer portal from Alabama transfer DaVonta Smith to serve as nickelback.
As for Miami, not only will they be relying on their Georgia transfer quarterback to produce on day one, but they’ll also be hoping that he and a pair of transfer wide receivers (CJ Daniels and Tony Johnson) can develop a rapport by the first game of the season. That seems like a tall order considering that Beck was extremely limited during spring camp as he recovered from last season’s torn UCL injury.
Edge: Notre Dame
