No. 4 Notre Dame takes big lead, then holds off No. 1 Miami 31-24 in a classic

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Marcus Freeman didn t deny the obvious. Even for a storied program like Notre Dame, beating Miami had enormous significance. If that wasn t enough, it kept Notre Dame s national title hopes alive as well. CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 4 Notre Dame avenged its most damaging loss from last season by running out to a 21-point lead and holding on to beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night. Micah Gilbert caught two of Carr s scoring passes, Jordan Faison had the other and Nolan James Jr. had a rushing score for Notre Dame (8-1, No. 11 College Football Playoff), which came into the game knowing another loss to Miami could doom its CFP chances. “It’s a special moment,” said Freeman, Notre Dame s coach. “Enjoy the moment, because tomorrow when you wake up it’s time to get ready for the next one. I know it’s a big one. This is big. This is special. I’m not going to sit here and say this was like the other ones. No, this is differe