Three things to watch in Notre Dame’s biggest game of the year

The stakes haven’t been this high for a regular-season game for Notre Dame in quite some time. The Fighting Irish welcome No. 1 Miami to South Bend for a primetime game, with College GameDay doing their show from campus. On top of all that, the College Football Committee has essentially determined that Notre Dame must win this game, or its chances of making the 12-team field will be incredibly slim. The Fighting Irish slotted in 11th in Tuesday’s rankings due to a lack of quality wins. The Hurricanes are the final opportunity for the Fighting Irish to grab a marquee win, but of course will be no easy win. Miami boasts one of the best offenses in college football, but will be without superstar wide receiver Malachi Toney due to injury. Saturday night will potentially make or break Notre Dame’s 2026 season and even without Toney, Miami will be tough to beat. “They’re a really good team. That’s why they’re the No. 1 team in the country,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “We’ll be excited for the opportunity, but we’re going to continue to understand our keys and our formula for success, and that’s the way we prepare.” Here is everything to know before the Fighting Irish kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on NBC. INJURY BUG BITES BOTH WAYS The biggest news in college football this week after the inaugural CFP Poll is the injury to Toney, Miami’s speedy sophomore wide receiver. Reports first came out Wednesday afternoon that he suffered an injury in practice but was just banged up and was still questionable for the game. Shortly after those initial reports came out, it was revealed that Toney had a high ankle sprain and would undergo surgery, putting him on the shelf for 4-6 weeks. The loss of Toney will be detrimental for Miami’s offense against Notre Dame. He is third in the country in receiving yards with 1,027, easily paces the Hurricanes with 73 receptions and has reeled in 13 receiving touchdowns. While Miami losing Toney may have the biggest impact on the game, Notre Dame is not exactly at full strength itself. The Fighting Irish will be down multiple defensive starters as safety Brauntae Johnson and cornerback DJ McKinney remain out. Joining them as out for Saturday night is senior captain linebacker Drayk Bowen after he suffered a right ankle injury against Navy. Bowen is Notre Dame’s leading tackler and wears the green dot for sideline communications. Defensive tackles Francis Brewu and Jason Onye remained questionable with knee injuries as of Thursday afternoon. If both are out, that would be a major hit to Notre Dame’s depth up front and even if one is out, that is a loss that would be felt. WHO DOES MIAMI’S OFFENSE TURN TO? Toney was Miami’s offensive focal point all season and his speed made him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. The Hurricanes will now have to turn their offense in a different direction and still possess plenty of talent even without Toney. Miami could turn to the run game, where it has two very solid running backs who can do damage. The Hurricanes already average more than 200 rushing yards behind the duo of Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory. Fletcher has 457 yards and nine touchdowns, while Mallory has 495 yards and seven touchdowns. Fletcher typically receives more carries, but Mallory has displayed speed, making him a good 1B option. “They have a great running back room,” Freeman said. ”Fletcher, obviously, we saw what he did last year and has done this year. I think he leads Miami in all-time rushing touchdowns, maybe. Big, strong, powerful back. Mallory’s physical, has great vision, but he’s got a speed that is different. He presents a different type of speed from the backfield.” Notre Dame’s run defense struggled in the first half against Navy, but has been overall solid all season. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and his 80.7% completion percentage are still a major threat to the Fighting Irish even without Toney. Wide receiver Cooper Barkate had 1,106 yards with Mensah at Duke last year and has been Miami’s second-leading receiver with 372 yards and four touchdowns. The Hurricanes also have plenty of receiver depth that has not been utilized yet due to Toney’s high volume in the pass game. Even without Toney, Notre Dame’s defense is still facing an offense with plenty of weapons that can be used both on the ground and through the air. START FAST Notre Dame’s last two games have seen a concerning trend where the Fighting Irish start slowly in the first half before finding their form in the second half. Against BYU, it cost them, as the Fighting Irish were down 21-10 at halftime before rallying to take a fourth-quarter lead. But BYU ultimately won with a defensive stand in the final minute. Against Navy, they struggled again in the first half. The Midshipmen found success on offense and led 13-7 before a long touchdown in the final minute of the first half put Notre Dame up 14-13 at halftime. The Fighting Irish thoroughly dominated the second half to win comfortably, 35-13. While the slow start ultimately didn’t cost them against Navy, it did against BYU and another one against Miami could doom the Fighting Irish.