Canes Corner: No. 1 in AP and CFP Polls, No. 4 Notre Dame Up Next

The North Carolina Tar Heels (4-4, 2-3) hosted Miami on Halloween night and most certainly put a scare into the Hurricanes. Miami (8-0, 6-0 ACC) came out on top by a score of 38-35, but this was a game that easily could have gone the other way.

Miami opened the scoring on the first possession with a Darian Mensah to Malachi Toney 2-yard TD connection. Carolina evened the score early in the second quarter with a QB Billy Edwards to TE Jelani Thurman 8-yard TD toss. Then Miami went up 14-7 on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Mensah to RB Mark Fletcher Jr. Five minutes later, another 8-yard Edwards to Thurman TD connection made it 14-14. A 25-yard field goal by Miami's Jake Weinberg gave the Canes a 17-14 lead at halftime.

Five minutes into the second half, the Tar Heels took their first lead with a 16-yard Edwards to WR Jordan Shipp touchdown, putting them ahead 21-17. Four minutes later, a 2-yard TD run by Fletcher put the Canes back on top 24-21. With just under 12 minutes left, Carolina RB Demon June finished off a 16-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard run to put NC up again, 28-24. Miami came right back with a 9-play, 75-yard drive, and a 2-yard TD run by Fletcher gave the Canes a 31-28 lead with 7:49 remaining.

Fletcher's touchdown was his 38th of his career, setting a new individual Miami record. It was also his 35th rushing touchdown, tying the all-time Miami record.

The game turned on Carolina's next possession. With 5:39 left, Edwards dropped back to pass on second-and-9, was sacked by Miami DE Marquise Lightfoot and fumbled. Canes DL Justin Scott recovered. A five-play, 75-yard drive was capped with a 9-yard Mensah to Toney TD pass for a 38-28 lead with 2:33 remaining. Carolina scored late to get within three and tried some innovative onside kicks that came close but were not successful, and Miami escaped with the three-point win.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was on point in his postgame remarks. “Just an awesome game, an awesome college football game. A back-and-forth and maybe an instant classic. At the end of the day, we scored on six of seven possessions, and they scored on five of seven. Really proud of our team's resiliency. Certainly, some things we've got to remedy and tune up, fix on the defensive side … but again, just a low-possession game. Got to make them all count on both sides of the ball. In games like that, it's really important. We tell our players to just keep playing because you don't know what play's going to turn the whole thing around, and certainly the [late North Carolina] fumble was massive.”

The first College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night. Miami was ranked number one. Canes Corner was part of a teleconference after the ESPN reveal show. The host explained that all 13 voters picked Miami as number one, then added that all spots between number two and number 25 were subject to intense debate. This week's opponent, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (No. 4 in the AP poll), were slotted at No. 11.

Saturday night's UM-ND clash is the game of the week with all the trimmings. ESPN's College GameDay show will be in South Bend for the matchup (ESPN/ESPNU, 9:00-12:00). NBC will have a pregame show at 7:00 and provide national coverage with a 7:30 kickoff.

For the first time this season, the Hurricanes come into a game as the betting underdog, as the betting markets have Notre Dame as a 5½-point favorite.

Miami's offense leads the entire FBS in scoring, averaging 47.6 points per game. Wide receiver Malachi Toney and quarterback Darian Mensah are both Heisman Trophy candidates. Miami has a very strong defensive line that is capable of disrupting the opposition's pocket and making things difficult for their offense.

Notre Dame has an elite defense that leads the FBS in fewest yards allowed per game (236.1). The game will feature strength versus strength.

Miami's defensive backfield has been vulnerable recently. They have suffered multiple injuries but hopefully are near full strength for this week's contest. Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has had a very impressive season and, like Mensah, has only thrown one interception all year.

Heading into this week's game, Notre Dame's strength of schedule ranks 55th, and Miami's 49th. Neither the Irish nor the Canes have faced a team yet this season that is as talented as their Saturday night opponent.

Notre Dame will be without linebacker and captain Drayk Bowen and cornerback DJ McKinney. Miami is relatively healthy. The biggest weaknesses for Miami have been poor tackling. Miami missed 22 tackles against North Carolina last week.

Poor execution and communication led to the Canes' defense giving up 341 passing yards against NC.

Miami has answered every call when their backs have been against the wall this season. Canes Corner believes they will again rise to the occasion against the Irish. This should be a high-scoring affair, and the feeling here is that last week's scare against Carolina will have provided the wake-up call and motivation for the defense's back seven in Miami to rise to the upcoming challenge.

There will be basketball coverage in next week's edition.

Free admission for volleyball on Friday, 11/6, at 6:00 against Stanford and on Sunday, 11/8, vs. Cal at 1:00.

That's it for now. Be well all and Go Canes!