Miami coach Mario Cristobal rips officials for Elija Lofton non-TD call

SOUTH BEND — It looked like Miami was going to tie the football game. Once trailing 24-3 early in the third quarter, the No. 1-ranked Hurricanes had roared back to within seven, 31-24 , with under four minutes remaining in regulation. After reaching the Notre Dame 18-yard line, Miami had a pair of incomplete passes to setup a 4th-and-6. With the game on the line, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah took the snap, looked around and floated a pass to tight end Elija Lofton in the end zone. The junior caught it and landed with both feet down in the end zone. As he went to bring the ball to his chest, though, Irish safety Luke Talich knocked it out of his hands and the ball hit the ground. Incomplete pass was the call. After review, the call was upheld. It proved to be pivotal in the No. 11 Irish’s 31-24 upset win over the Hurricanes Saturday, Nov. 7 in South Bend. More: Notre Dame football makes it look easy, then not in win over Miami The play, naturally, brought up the discussion of what constitutes a catch — which seems to have a constantly-changing answer to a simple question. Consider Miami coach Mario Cristobal not a fan of the call that led to his team’s first loss of the season. “Really, really disappointed that they negated Elija Lofton’s touchdown with two hands on the ball and two feet inbounds,” Cristobal said. “But like we told our team when we left Miami: do not leave it in the hands of the officials, and that’s what you’re going to get out here. … Very disappointed in the way that was called with the game on the line and clear possession of the football inbounds.” When asked if the referees offered Cristobal an explanation of the call, his answer was brief. “Zero,” Cristobal said. “Zero explanation. Zero.” “I got to live with it and respect it, and our players got to live with it and we have to do better,” Cristobal later elaborated. “And again, don’t leave it in the hands of the officials. Play better, coach better, find a way to win.” Mensah admitted he didn’t even see the ball come loose. He saw Lofton catch it and land in the end zone and started sprinting to the tight end to celebrate. Once he reached Lofton, he realized that it was indeed not a catch. Talich explained his perspective of the game-deciding play. “I took my eyes off my guy for a second and he ended up going vertical,” Talich said. “Followed him down the field and when I turned around, it was a back shoulder fade. He went up to make the catch, and we’re taught to play through the hands and finish the play. That’s what I did, and I was able to get the ball out.” That lesson saved Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff dreams. Austin Hough is a sports editor within the Center for Community Journalism at USA Today Co., overseeing high school sports and Notre Dame athletics coverage for five Indiana newspapers. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @AustinRHough. Hough can be emailed at ahough@usatodayco.com .