Miami’s Mario Cristobal fired up about refs’ controversial call vs. Notre Dame

Notre Dame raced out to a three-touchdown advantage on Saturday night in a must-win matchup against No. 1 Miami and managed to hold on for a 31-24 victory that will do wonders for their College Football Playoff hopes. The Irish needed to survive a late charge from the visiting Hurricanes that ended when Elijah Lofton could not reel in a potential game-tying catch in the end zone. MORE: Best ‘College GameDay’ signs from Week 10: Miami vs. Notre Dame Here’s the near-catch, which has resulted in some controversy. Now, if you’re seeing this clip and not finding an controversy because Lofton clearly did not complete the process of the catch, well, you are in a different headspace than Miami fans who believe they were robbed. Head coach Mario Cristobal had a lot of frustrations to vent about the officials’ decision after the loss. And hey, emotions run high so it’s perfectly understandable. This type of play, though, has simply not been a catch for well over a decade. Cristobal’s comments “They negated Elija Lofton’s touchdown with two hands on the ball and two feet inbounds,” Cristobal said. “Like we told our team before we left Miami, do not leave it in the hands of the officials. “Congratulations to Notre Dame for winning the game, but very disappointed in the way that was called with the game on the line and clear possession of a football inbounds.” Asked by a reporter if he was given any explanation for the decision, Cristobal asserted multiple times that he received zero. Look, coming so close only to lose by a split-second is really tough. Yet one could make the argument that the call was so obvious it didn’t merit any type of explanation. Even Lofton doesn’t appear convinced he caught the football. Thinking of it a different way, if this would have somehow been ruled a catch it would be the most controversial call of the college football season. The good news for Miami is that this setback won’t hurt them too much and they remain in firm control of their destiny when it comes to snagging a top-four position and bye in the playoffs.