Miami's unbeaten run ends at Notre Dame as No. 1 Hurricanes fall 31-24 in South Bend

Miami's run as the last unbeaten team in the ACC is over. The top-ranked Hurricanes fell behind 24-3 early in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night, clawed back to within a touchdown twice, and lost 31-24 to the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish. Miami drops to 8-1, and its hold on the No. 1 spot is gone heading into Tuesday's College Football Playoff rankings.

Miami was without star receiver Malachi Toney, who hurt his ankle in practice Wednesday, ESPN reported, and the offense did little early on. Darian Mensah threw for just 49 yards in the first half. The best chance of that half went nowhere: Miami had first-and-goal from the Notre Dame 1 and came away with only a field goal after Notre Dame stopped three straight runs. SB Nation's One Foot Down said that stand set the tone for the Irish defense. Notre Dame led 17-3 at the break, and a short punt return early in the third quarter set up the touchdown that made it 24-3.

After that, Mensah got going. He threw touchdown passes to Elija Lofton and Cooper Barkate to cut the lead to 24-17. Then Notre Dame safety Luke Talich made a diving interception on an out route, and Nolan James punched in a 1-yard score that put the Irish up 31-17 with 12:55 left. Miami answered again. A pass interference call in the end zone set up Mensah's third touchdown pass, and it was 31-24 with 9:53 to go.

The swing play came after Notre Dame missed a 53-yard field goal. A 41-yard catch by Lofton moved Miami into range, and on fourth-and-6 from the 18 Mensah found Lofton in the corner of the end zone. Talich knocked the ball out as Lofton went out of bounds. The officials ruled it incomplete, and the call stood after review with 3:43 left. Mario Cristobal was angry about it afterward. He told ESPN the Hurricanes had been warned before the trip: "don't leave it in the hands of the officials." Miami got one more possession, and it ended when Leonard Moore forced a fumble that Jaiden Ausberry recovered, according to USA TODAY Sports. Fans then stormed the field. CJ Carr finished 29-of-40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns for Notre Dame, with no turnovers.

What it means for Duke

Miami gets right back to ACC play Saturday, November 14, at home against Duke on ABC. For Miami, the questions are about the start of games and the pass defense, more than the comeback. The 24 points were the Hurricanes' lowest total of the season. They had scored at least 38 in seven of their eight wins and averaged nearly 48 points a game in those wins. The defense has been leaking points lately, though. Before giving up 31 in South Bend, Miami allowed 35 points to Florida State, 23 to Pittsburgh and 35 to North Carolina, and the last of those games was a 38-35 escape in Chapel Hill. Early in the season the Hurricanes held Stanford, Florida A&M and Central Michigan to single digits.

The Duke game is also the Hurricanes' first chance to show whether the offense can work without Toney. A sharper first half against a conference opponent would go a long way toward keeping their playoff standing intact after the first loss.