Written by Alex Muniz
Miami Gardens, FL — On Sunday night, No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Miami reignite their legendary rivalry in Miami Gardens. This matchup was at its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, and the clash of cultures became famously known as “Catholics vs. Convicts.”
The Hurricanes will host the National Championship runner-up in a stand alone battle on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Fighting Irish plan to start redshirt freshman C.J. Carr at quarterback for the first time. As for the Hurricanes, the Carson Beck era will commence. The transfer from Georgia brings in a championship pedigree, having won two national titles with the Bulldogs in 2021 and 2022. Before suffering a shoulder injury in the late 2024 season, Beck was considered one of the top overall prospects going into the 2025 National Football League Draft. The six-foot-four quarterback decided instead to enter the transfer portal and bring his talents to Miami. Last year, the Hurricanes saw Cam Ward lead them to a ten-win season before he went on to be the first overall pick of the draft.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal had this to say about Carson Beck’s leadership in big games at a recent press conference.
“I think when you look at our team, the makeup of our team, particularly the guy snapping the football to the guy giving snap to the guy behind him, to the middle of our defense, the defensive tackles, the linebackers, the safety, the core of our team, has experience. And we feel that when you have the type of game experience those guys have, the big moments don’t faze you. They came here to Miami to have that opportunity. And Carson, of course, has been in a bunch of those. So he has had a great camp. He doesn’t stop preparing like the rest of the team. The culture fit has been perfect. So really all his focus is on preparation at the highest level he can do it”
The last time Miami faced off against Notre Dame was 2017, when the Hurricanes routed the Irish in a 41–8 blowout. Fans packed the stadium that day with an attendance of 65,303 to watch the classic matchup. The quarterback of the Irish at the time was Ian Book, who recently reflected on the atmosphere of that November night.
Miami plans to duplicate that energy Sunday with a sold-out crowd. The team has declared an “Orange Out” for the game, encouraging fans to wear orange to match their beloved Hurricanes on the field. With this being one of the biggest home games in recent years, Hard Rock Stadium is expected to be a madhouse with passionate fans and spectators.
Notre Dame holds a commanding 17-8-1 series lead over Miami in a rivalry that began in 1955. Miami looks to not only add another win to the series column but also defeat a top-ten team for the first time since beating No. 9 Clemson in 2022.
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