Game Day Notes: No. 10 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 5/6 Notre Dame ... how to watch, start time, game notes & more

NO. 10 MIAMI (0-0, 0-0 ACC) VS. NO. 5/6 NOTRE DAME (0-0)

Date: Sun., Aug. 31, 2025

Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT

Location: Miami Gardens, Fla.

Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium

Television: ABC

Talent: Sean McDonough (pxp), Greg McElroy (color), Molly McGrath (sideline), Taylor McGregor (sideline

Radio: 560/104.3 WQAM (Joe Zagacki, Don Bailey, Jr., Josh Darrow); Spanish Radio (Alfredo Alvarez, Joe Martinez); Radio Libre 790 AM; Touchdown Radio (JP Shadrick, Gino Torretta, KC Jones)

Series History: Notre Dame leads, 18-8-1

Miami / Miami Gardens: Miami leads, 7-6-1

South Bend: Notre Dame leads, 9-1

Neutral: Notre Dame leads, 3-0

Last Meeting: Miami won, 41-8 (Nov. 2, 2017)

MIAMI GAME NOTES

 QUICK HITS

• The Miami Hurricanes open their fourth season under the direction of head coach Mario Cristobal on Sun., Aug. 31 at Hard Rock Stadium against defending national runner-up #6/#6 Notre Dame.

• Miami posted its first 10-win season since 2017 and only its second 10-win season in the last 20 years in 2024. The Hurricanes also finished the season undefeated at home for the first time since 2002 (6-0).

• Miami’s 41-8 win over a third-ranked Notre Dame team when the programs last met in 2017 was (and still is) UM’s most lopsided victory over an AP Top 5 opponent since beating No. 3 Texas, 46-3, in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1991.

• Cristobal hired defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman from Minnesota, where his unit ranked among the nation’s best in 2024: ninth nationally in points allowed (16.9 per game), fifth in total defense (285.7 yards per game), 12th in rushing defense (109.6) and ninth in passing defense (176.1).

STORYLINES

• Miami opens its fourth season under head coach Mario Cristobal with a top-10 matchup vs. No 6 Notre Dame at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, August 31. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

• The Hurricanes enter the season ranked in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls, checking in at No. 10 in both rankings. Notre Dame was ranked No. 6 in both polls. In addition to August 31, the other season-opening top-10 matchups in Miami history came in: 1988 (No. 6 Miami’s 31-0 win vs. No. 1 Florida State), 1984 (No. 10 Miami’s 20-18 win at No. 1 Auburn) and 1955 (No. 9 Miami’s 14-6 loss at No. 10 Georgia Tech).

• Among UM’s top newcomers is QB Carson Beck, who arrived from Georgia via transfer portal. Beck, who missed spring practices while recovering from UCL surgery, has a 24-3 (.889) record as a starting FBS quarterback, the best of any active player (minimum five games).

HONORARY CAPTAIN

Notre Dame (Aug. 31) WR Andre Johnson Andre Johnson played three seasons (2000- 02) for the Hurricanes and caught 92 career passes for 1,831 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was the Co-MVP of the Rose Bowl along with Dorsey after hauling in seven passes for 199 yards and two scores. In 2002, Johnson racked up 1,092 receiving yards, averaging 21 yards per catch. Johnson was the third overall selection by the Houston Texans in the 2003 NFL Draft, becoming one of the most prolific wide receivers in professional football. He played 14 seasons, amassing 1,062 receptions for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns. In 2024, he became the first Texan inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

THE MATCHUP

• #10/#10 Miami opens the 2025 football season at Hard Rock Stadium vs. #6/#6 Notre Dame on Sunday, August 31. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. on ABC, with radio set for 104.3 WQAM, Radio Libre 790 AM & WVUM 90.5 FM.

• The Hurricanes have won the last six head-to-head matchups against the Fighting Irish in games played in Miami, including a 41-8 win in 2017 at Hard Rock Stadium. UM leads the all-time series in games in Miami, 7-6-1. Notre Dame has not won a game played against the Hurricanes in Miami since 1977.

• Miami is slated to return to Notre Dame in 2026, its first trip to South Bend, Ind, since 2016 – a 30-27 Irish win.

• Of the 27 all-time matchups between the two programs, at least one of the two teams has been ranked in the top 10 on 19 occasions; this is the fifth time in history both have been ranked in the top 10 (1987, 1988, 1989, 2017).

MIAMI REACHED NUMBER OF MILESTONES IN 2024

• Miami reached a number of notable milestones in 2024, its third season under Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes managed only the second 10-win season in the last 20 years at Miami (2017), finished undefeated at home for the first time since 2002 and ended the season inside the Associated Press Top 20 at No. 18 – only its second finish that high since 2005.

• The Hurricanes had 10 NFL Combine invites and its seven NFL Draft picks ranked sixth-most nationally. UM had just one NFL Draft pick in the draft prior to Cristobal taking the helm, in 2022 – and it came in the seventh round.

• Cam Ward, the winner of the Davey O’Brien Award and Manning Award as the nation’s top quarterback, was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans – it was the third No. 1 overall pick in program history.

• The Hurricanes, who led the nation in yards per game and points per game, were one of just three teams in the nation to have a 4,000 yard passer (Cam Ward), a 1,000-yard rusher (Damien Martinez) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Xavier Restrepo). The other two teams were Ohio State and Syracuse.

HETHERMAN HIRED AS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

• Mario Cristobal announced the hiring of Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman to the same post in January 2025. Hetherman arrived in Coral Gables after a dominant lone season at Minnesota.

• Under Hetherman’s direction, the Gophers ranked No. 9 nationally in points allowed (16.9 per game), No. 5 nationally in total defense (285.7 yards per game), No. 9 in passing defense (176.1) and No. 12 in rushing defense (109.6).

• Hetherman was hired by Minnesota after spending two seasons (2022-23) as Rutgers’ linebacker coach. Hetherman spent 2019-21 at James Madison as the defensive coordinator. His defense ranked in the top 10 in both total defense and scoring defense in all three years he was there.

• A native of Oxford, Massachusetts, Hetherman was promoted to Associate Head Coach and was named the AFCA FCS Assistant Coach of the Year after James Madison finished with the No. 2 defense in the nation. What They’re Saying: DC Corey Hetherman: “We’re going to be aggressive. We want to be an attacking style defense. We’re going to be very multiple..we’re going to be an attacking, aggressive style defense and we’re going to try and dictate the tempo.” HC Mario Cristobal: “He is an elite coach, individual, and teacher. That is the most valuable thing when it comes to coaching. A guy has to be able to teach and connect. Every single day, he finds a way to make those guys better so that their buy-in is really, really high. You see it in the way we communicate and the way we run to the football. We are not all the way yet, but it is exciting to watch that defense progress.” DL Akheem Mesidor: “I love Coach Hetherman. He’s a great teacher. He’s just an aggressive guy, as you guys can see in his interviews. But he really just gets it down to the point. He’s a technician; anything you have, he’ll probably answer your question before you ask it. But he’s an amazing person, a great coach, and he just lets us play free, play fast.” LB Wesley Bissainthe: “It starts from meetings. He’s emphasizing communication. ‘Communication, swarm, violence’ every day in meetings, so that when we come out here, we already know it. And from the start of practice to the end of practice, he’s hollering ‘Communication.’”

PRESEASON AWARDS 2025 SEASON:

Rueben Bain, Jr. Preseason All-ACC, Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy, Lott Trophy

Carson Beck Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, Davey O’Brien Award, Walter Camp POY Award, Maxwell Award

Wesley Bissainthe Butkus Award

Adam Booker Patrick Mannelly Award

James Brockermeyer Rimington Trophy

Anez Cooper Outland Trophy

OJ Frederique, Jr. Bednarik Award

Elija Lofton Mackey Award

Keelan Marion Hornung Award

Francis Mauigoa Preseason All-ACC, Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, Polynesian College POY, Wuerffel Trophy

Keelan Marion Hornung Award

Malachi Toney Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year

Mario Cristobal Dodd Trophy

CARSON BECK ARRIVES IN CORAL GABLES AS QB 1

• For the second straight year, the Miami Hurricanes added one of the top quarterbacks in the country in the January transfer window, signing QB Carson Beck after an eye-popping career at Georgia, where he finished 24-3 as a starting quarterback with the Bulldogs. He threw for 7,912 yards, 58 touchdowns and 20 interceptions at UGA.

• Beck, who assumed starting responsibilities at Georgia in 2023 as a fourth-year redshirt sophomore, led the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record and a win in the 2023 Capital One Orange Bowl, finishing just shy of a College Football Playoff berth in the four-team field. He was a member of back-to-back national championship teams as a backup.

• In his second year as the team’s starting quarterback in 2024, Beck led Georgia to the College Football Playoff with an 11-2 record. Beck was hurt in the 2024 SEC Championship Game against Texas, which Georgia won, 22- 19. He finished 2024 with 3,485 yards, a 64.7% completion percentage, 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

• Beck underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow after the SEC Championship Game. Though he did not throw during all of spring practice at Miami after enrolling in January while completing his rehab, he was cleared for full participation shortly thereafter and took part in all summer team activity.

• Beck was named to nearly to the watch list for nearly every quarterback and offensive player award, earning the nod as a candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Maxwell Award and others.

HOME SWEET HOME OPENERS

• The Miami Hurricanes open their 18th season at world-class Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 31 vs. Notre Dame; UM holds a 17-0 all-time mark in home openers at the stadium, having outscored opponents 783-131 for an average margin of victory of 38.3 points in those 17 home openers since 2008.

• The Hurricanes have not lost a home opener since 2006, when they fell to Florida State 13-10 at the Orange Bowl on Sept. 4, 2006. Miami has won 18 straight home openers since – each one since 2007

• In the modern era of Miami Hurricanes football (since 1979), UM has opened the season at home 19 times and is 17-2 in those games. The Hurricanes are 34-12 in regular season openers dating to 1979.

UM EARNS HIGHEST PRESEASON RANK SINCE 2018

• Bolstered by the addition of several impressive newcomers and anchored by a talented group of returning veterans, the Hurricanes are ranked in the top 10 of both preseason polls – checking in at No. 10 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and Associated Press rankings.

• Miami’s ranking inside the top 10 marks its highest preseason in seven years; the Hurricanes opened the 2018 season ranked No. 8/8.

• The Hurricanes opened the 2024 season at No. 19 in the poll and found their name in every top 25 ranking of the season. The Hurricanes reached as high as No. 4 (after improving to 9-0 to start the year) and ended No. 18 in the final poll, its highest final ranking since being ranked No. 13 to end 2017.

• Mario Cristobal’s highest-ranked finish as a head coach came in the final 2019 polls, when Oregon was No. 5/5.

• The Hurricanes were not ranked in the 2023 preseason polls, but were ranked in the 2022 preseason polls in Cristobal’s first year as head coach, checking in at No. 16 in that year’s coaches poll and No. 17 in the AP top 25.

DAWSON LED MOST EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE IN FBS

• In his second year at the helm of Miami’s offense in 2024, OC Shannon Dawson orchestrated the nation’s No. 1 unit in both points per game (43.9) and yards (537.2).

• The Hurricanes ended the 2024 ranked No. 2 nationally in both plays of 10-or-more yards (249) and 20-or-moreyards (99). In each category, Miami trailed a team that had played 16 games compared to their 13 – Penn State (253 of 10-or-more) and Texas (108 of 20-or-more).

• The Hurricanes had 10 games of 500-or-more yards in the 2024 regular season, marking only the sixth time in the previous decade (since 2014) an FBS team has had 10-or-more games of 500-or-more yards of offense; Alabama (2018, 11), LSU (2019, 10), Oklahoma (2018, 10), Oklahoma (2017, 10) and Baylor (2014, 10).

• Miami’s offense, anchored by QB Cam Ward – who went on to win the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award and ACC Player of the Year honors – helped lead the Hurricanes to their first 10-win season since 2017.

• Ward would go on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft by Tennessee, while Dawson was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award honoring the nation’s top assistant coach in 2024.

• Miami’s offense was among the nation’s most improved in its first season under Dawson’s direction in 2023, with a jump to No. 25 in total offense (up from No. 85 in 2022), No. 22 in yards per play (from No. 67) and No. 35 in scoring offense (from No. 96).

UM WAS ELITE IN SECOND HALVES, 4TH QUARTERS

• Miami ended the season ranked No. 2 in both second-half point differential (+12.62) and fourth-quarter point differential (+8.54) last season. In both categories, the Hurricanes trailed only Indiana (+9.08 in fourth quarter, +13.31 in second halves).

DOMINANT O-LINE PLAY A CRISTOBAL HALLMARK

• The Hurricanes’ offensive line was one of 22 groups named to the midseason honor roll for the Joe Moore Award honoring the nation’s top unit in 2024. Despite missing two players who started the opener for a five-game stretch, Miami made the cut for the second straight year. Mario Cristobal’s OL won the award at Alabama in 2015.

• Miami returns three starters from an offensive line that keyed the way for the No. 1 offense in FBS by nearly every metric last season: RT Francis Mauigoa (started all 26 games of his career), RG Anez Cooper (30 career starts, including 26 straight) and LG Matt McCoy (12 starts last year).

• In addition to those three starters, Miami also received significant contributions from LT Markel Bell – who made five starts last year in place of an injured Jalen Rivers in his first season at Miami in 2024 – and LG Ryan Rodriguez, who started the season opener against Florida before suffering a season-ending injury.

• According to SportSource Analytics, Miami ranked No. 3 in the country and No. 1 in FBS last year in offensive line efficiency at 109.2. Only teams ahead of Miami were New Mexico (134.5) and Army (110.5). Offensive Line Ffficiency is a combination of five key metrics: tackle for loss percentage allowed (6.1%), sack percentage allowed (4.7%), percentage of rushes that went for four-plus yards (49.6%) and first down conversion percentage on 3rd & 4th Down runs where the necessary yardage was 1-2 yards (85.7% on third [24/28], 100% on fourth [6/6]).

• Miami added one of the top centers in the transfer portal for the third straight year this offseason, with C James Brockermeyer signing on from the Hurricanes for TCU. In his lone season in Fort Worth, Brockermeyer was All- Big 12 Honorable Mention. He allowed just one sack and eight quarterback pressures in 2024 according to PFF. Prior to adding Brockermeyer, Miami added Zach Carpenter (Indiana) in 2024 and Matt Lee (UCF) in 2023.

• During 13 of his 16 full seasons as head coach, Cristobal has entrusted Alex Mirabal with the development of the offensive line with stops at FIU, Oregon and now Miami. The two coaches, who met during their playing days at Christopher Columbus in Miami, were in each other’s wedding parties – Cristobal was Mirabal’s ‘best man.’

DANIELS, MARION AMONG NEW WIDE RECEIVERS

• The Hurricanes will be taking the field in 2025 without their six top pass catchers from 2024, all of whom departed for the NFL following a season where Miami ranked No. 1 in the nation in points per game and yards per game.

• There are a number of key newcomers who joined Miami this offseason, including WR CJ Daniels (LSU) and WR Keelan Marion (from BYU). Marion was a first-team All-America selection by several outlets as a kick returner. Daniels has 148 career receptions for 2,434 yards and 21 TD in his career across his time at Liberty (2020-23) and LSU (2024), while Marion has 1,125 yards on 76 catches with 7 TDs across UConn (2021-22) and BYU (2023-24).

NEW LOOK DEFENSIVE BACK ROOM IMPRESSES

• After a disappointing season by Miami’s secondary in 2024, the Hurricanes added a number of key players who look to transform the unit’s chances in 2025. A bright spot in the group was CB OJ Frederique, a Freshman All- America honoree by several outlets last season, who figures to play a key role in the secondary.

• The Hurricanes infused the room with several highly impressive players via the transfer portal, including a pair of veterans in CB Ethan O’Connor from Washington State and CB Charles “Chuck” Brantley from Michigan State. In addition, Miami added CB Xavier Lucas, who impressed at Wisconsin in his true freshman season in 2024, as well as S Zechriah Poyser, a 2024 Freshman All-America as a redshirt freshman at Jacksonville State.

• During the second portal window in 2025 following the conclusion of spring practice, Miami added S Jakobe Thomas from Tennessee and CB Keionte Scott from Auburn, who was a multi-year starter at nickel for the Tigers.

• The Hurricanes will benefit from the healthy return of Damari Brown, who missed nearly all of 2024 due to an injury suffered in the season opener vs. Florida, as well as versatile Isaiah Taylor, who transferred to Miami from Arizona but missed 2024 due to surgery. Taylor had a productive 2022 season at Arizona (40 tackles, 1 INT).

• In addition to the portal additions, the Hurricanes added multiple freshmen who could play a role in Year 1 – Ja’Boree Antoine (pronounced jabari), Bryce Fitzgerald and Chris Ewald. S Dylan Day has also been praised by the coaching staff following a true freshman 2024 season where he was a standout on special teams.

A “MENACE” REUNITES WITH HIS FORMER COACH

• One of Miami’s key additions via the transfer portal came in the second window following spring practice, when the Hurricanes added former Rutgers standout Mo Toure (pronounced tur-RAY) to its linebacker room.

• Toure had a breakout 2023, playing in all 13 games for Rutgers and making eight starts during that season. Then under now Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman (then Rutgers linebackers coach), Toure was second on the team with 93 tackles and led the Scarlet Knights with nine-and-a-half tackles for loss. He also played in Rutgers’ 2023 Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami.

• Toure, who has the moniker “Mo The Menace,” was named to the Butkus Award watch list in 2024, but suffered ACL injuries that ended his 2022 and 2024 seasons. Toure is in his seventh season of college football. He picked Miami over offers from Indiana, North Carolina and Penn State out of the transfer portal.

• Mario Cristobal on Toure: “There is a ton of versatility with Mo. He is very physical. He is large at 240 pounds and he has produced in the Big Ten at a high level. We have a motivated version of Mo and I am excited to see what that looks like. He is physical at the point of attack and a really good tackler.”

JOYCE RETURNS, UM ADDS TO SPECIALIST ROOM

• Miami returns one of the top punters in the nation in Australia native Dylan Joyce, who has averaged 43. 3 yards per punt in his two seasons at The U. But after losing graduating senior and Andy Borregales to the NFL Draft, the Hurricanes added K Carter Davis from FAU, K Bert Auburn from Texas and LS Adam Booker from Charlotte.

• Auburn connected on 76% of his career field goals (66-for-86) at Texas, while Davis went 4-for-11 at FAU.