{"id":426683,"date":"2025-12-05T15:02:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T15:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/426683\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T15:02:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T15:02:08","slug":"whos-better-notre-dame-or-miami-we-asked-the-coaches-who-played-both","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/426683\/","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s better, Notre Dame or Miami? We asked the coaches who played both"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miami versus Notre Dame is one of the most talked-about matchups of Championship Week, even though neither team is actually playing this weekend. But the two schools, each at 10-2,<\/a> are in the middle of the College Football Playoff\u2019s hottest debate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to the latest (and penultimate) CFP rankings<\/a>, Miami is No. 12 and Notre Dame is 10. The Irish have been ranked ahead of the Hurricanes every week since the initial CFP rankings came out in early November even though Miami beat Notre Dame 27-24 in Week 1.<\/p>\n

The teams have four common opponents and both crushed all four by at least three touchdowns: Syracuse, NC State, Stanford and Pittsburgh. Notre Dame, which beat Syracuse by 63 points compared to Miami\u2019s 28-point victory, owns the bigger margin of victory over the four games, while Miami won by more against the other three opponents.<\/p>\n

In hopes of getting a better sense of which team is better, The Athletic reached out to five ACC coaches of those four common opponents to get their perspective. As expected, it wasn\u2019t an easy question.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really splitting hairs,\u201d said one offensive coordinator. \u201cThey\u2019re really that evenly matched. These defenses are both so consistent and so dominant. I think they both should be in the Playoff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami is ranked No. 9 in the nation in yards per play allowed. Notre Dame is ranked No. 14. Notre Dame is No. 13 in pass defense rating while Miami is No. 19.<\/p>\n

\u201cNotre Dame\u2019s linebackers were the best we played,\u201d said the OC. \u201cWe wanted to attack (Drayk Bowen) but we realized he can cover tailbacks. All of their backers are really good. Jaiden Ausberry and Jaylen Sneed and Bowen all have speed and physicality. Their front is also really good. They play so hard but they don\u2019t have the standout guys like Miami does. Donovan Hinish and Gabriel Rubio are very physical and Boubacar Traore can really rush the passer. He is elite, and (Leonard Moore is as good as any cornerback we\u2019ve gone against.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moore, a 6-2, 195-pound sophomore, drew raves from almost all the coaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s so long,\u201d said a receivers coach. \u201cHe looks like he\u2019s 6-3. They get away with a lot of grabs. That\u2019s just part of their game \u2014 they grab. They tug. They know how to get away with it but he reads the ball in the air really well. He\u2019s as good as advertised.\u201d<\/p>\n

The receivers coach said ND\u2019s safeties \u2014 especially 6-0, 207-pound sophomore Adon Shuler (30 tackles, two INTs, two forced fumbles) \u2014 are almost as impressive. \u201cThey\u2019re all big and long and athletic,\u201d he said. \u201cThey trigger on the run faster than any safeties that we\u2019ve ever played against. They diagnose plays fast. And they\u2019re an extremely well-coached, talented team.\u201d<\/p>\n

What this wideout coach sees from the Irish secondary is emblematic of why he thinks Notre Dame is better than Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cHands down, Notre Dame is better,\u201d the coach said. \u201cThey\u2019re one of the most complete teams in the country. Physically, when you look at them, they are so impressive. They\u2019re a bigger, stronger and they\u2019re a faster team than Miami. I know Miami won that game earlier in the year, but I think where Notre Dame is now, their confidence is through the roof. They made us look like a JV team out there. We were able to hang in there for like a half against Miami. We didn\u2019t stand a chance against Notre Dame from the time we got off the bus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the length of their corners, the size of their safeties. Their linebackers and defensive ends were so physical. They were much bigger in person than we actually thought. We got there and were like \u2014 whoa, this is a good-lookin\u2019 team. You know that about their O-line but to see that from their secondary, really stood out. I didn\u2019t feel that way about Miami. They\u2019re just not as physically impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second assistant, this one a running backs coach, also said that Notre Dame is better.<\/p>\n

\u201cNotre Dame impressed me more when we played against them,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we played those dudes, those guys were ready to go. They were locked and dialed. They were more complete, at least when we played them. I didn\u2019t feel like there was any true weaknesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiami was better up front defensively but Notre Dame was always in the right spot. I felt like we had to play a near-perfect game to beat them. They\u2019ve always had athletic and physical linebackers. They have really good depth; they don\u2019t get out of gaps in the run game and they don\u2019t miss many tackles.\u201d<\/p>\n

A head coach who faced both teams disagreed, saying he thinks Miami is better and should be ranked ahead of the Irish.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, Miami beat Notre Dame, so I don\u2019t know why Miami wouldn\u2019t be ahead of Notre Dame,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the dumbest thing that I\u2019ve ever seen. I don\u2019t understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The head coach added that the Hurricanes have more talent than the Irish. \u201cMiami\u2019s offensive line is gigantic,\u201d he said. \u201cNotre Dame\u2019s O-line is good, but it ain\u2019t Miami\u2019s. And Miami\u2019s defensive line is way better than Notre Dame\u2019s. ND\u2019s D-line is good, but it\u2019s not Miami\u2019s. Their D-line is ridiculous. And that\u2019s why Miami beat them. The trenches are where it all starts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c(Rueben) Bain is so good, but the other guy (Akheem) Mesidor is a beast too. I think they\u2019re both first-day (draft) guys. They are problems. If you chip one, you gotta chip \u2019em both.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s defense was its undoing last year. UM hired Corey Hetherman to take over the defense and the unit has gone from No. 10 in the ACC in third-down defense to No. 3, and from No. 14 in allowing plays of 20-plus yards to No. 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeatherman does a real good job,\u201d the head coach said. \u201cHe keeps it simple. In the past, they tried to do too much s\u2014 got too fancy. And, you still have to block them.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Miami\u2019s game against the Irish, UM was the only team to hold Notre Dame under 136 yards on the ground. ND managed 93 yards on 28 carries. Jeremiyah Love, ND\u2019s Heisman candidate, had his worst game of the season, rushing for only 33 yards on 10 carries.<\/p>\n

The wide receivers coach also praised the job Heatherman does. \u201cCorey does a really good job of knowing how you\u2019re gonna try to attack him,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a simple scheme for the eye but there\u2019s a lot of things that he does from multiple different looks and different pressures that he brings. They just create so many issues up front. You definitely have to gameplan for that D-line. They can really get off the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMiami\u2019s ends are really outstanding,\u201d said the OC. \u201cThey\u2019re nightmares, such match-up problems. They change the game. They\u2019re just so twitchy and fast, and their inside guys are really talented too. (Andrew Moten, Justin Scott and David Blay) all give you problems and can make plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s secondary is also much improved from last year. Nickelback Keionte Scott was playing at a very high level until a foot injury suffered in mid-November might\u2019ve knocked him out of the rest of the season. \u201cHe\u2019s as good a player as there is in our league,\u201d said the OC, but added that freshman dime DB Bryce Fitzgerald (four interceptions) is a special talent. \u201cHe is a real difference-maker.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hurricanes offense is not as explosive as it was in 2024 when Cam Ward was running the show. Georgia transfer Carson Beck has played well, but had a four-interception game in Miami\u2019s loss to Louisville. Over UM\u2019s last four games, Beck is playing the best he has this season. He\u2019s completing over 79 percent of his passes with 11 TDs and one INT.<\/p>\n

C.J. Carr, Notre Dame\u2019s redshirt freshman QB, played well on the road against Miami in his debut. On the season, he\u2019s completing 67 percent of his passes with 24 TDs and only six interceptions.<\/p>\n

\u201cNotre Dame is better this year than they were last year,\u201d said the ACC head coach. \u201cThe difference is the quarterback because he can throw a pass. I didn\u2019t think (Riley Leonard) really could. Carr is probably a better quarterback than\u00a0Beck, who\u2019s a little weird to me. We thought we could get in his head, but we really didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s consistency, especially Beck\u2019s, came up a few times with rival coaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiami is hit or miss offensively. When Beck\u2019s on, he\u2019s really good but their run game struggles a bit,\u201d said the WR coach. \u201cThat\u2019s where I think Notre Dame has the advantage. I don\u2019t think Miami could run the ball on Notre Dame and they\u2019re just trying to feed (wide receiver Malachi) Toney the ball a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for ND\u2019s issues in the opener, the receivers coach thought some of that stemmed from opening-night problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they were caught up in an identity crisis,\u201d the coach said. \u201cBrand new quarterback trying to figure out who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, the Irish have rushed for over 200 yards six times and had five games where they averaged at least eight yards per play. Much of the damage has been done by the most talented running back room in the country, led by Love and Jadarian Price.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Love kid is so freaky, holy cow,\u201d said the defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are so deep at running back, and so well-coached,\u201d said the running backs coach. \u201cThey\u2019re good in the pass game; good in the pass protection game. They good at everything. Miami\u2019s running backs are talented but they\u2019re not Notre Dame\u2019s running backs.\u201d<\/p>\n

One development that has helped the Canes over the last month of the season is the emergence of freshman RB Girard Pringle,\u00a0rushing for 302 yards in the last four games.<\/p>\n

\u201cPringle has breakaway speed,\u201d said the head coach. (Mark) Fletcher is not gonna scare you. Pringle does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s scariest player is also one of the smallest \u2014 true freshman Malachi Toney, a dynamic 5-11, 185-pound receiver who has caught 84 passes for 970 yards and nine touchdowns. He\u2019s also completed four of six passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cToney is special,\u201d said the head coach of the former high school QB, who actually skipped his senior season of high school this year. \u201cHe is ridiculous. That guy is throwing fades. He\u2019s got an arm. He could probably play quarterback for a bunch of colleges. I can\u2019t believe the balls he throws. He\u2019s a whole different deal because he can jump in the wildcat and throw it. He\u2019s scary because he can do everything. He\u2019s almost unstoppable. He\u2019s electric. He\u2019s the best player we played all year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the five coaches we spoke to, each was asked who they thought should be the higher-ranked team. The breakdown:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Notre Dame<\/strong>: The receivers coach and running backs coach<\/p>\n

\u2022 Miami<\/strong>: The head coach<\/p>\n

\u2022 Both<\/strong>: The offensive coordinator<\/p>\n

\u2022 Hedged: <\/strong>The defensive coordinator<\/p>\n

The DC said he thought Notre Dame\u2019s physicality was better but Miami was more skilled. Asked who he thought was the better team, he laughed and then went back to the outcome of Week 1: \u201cWhen it\u2019s all said and done, Notre Dame lost that game. College football\u2019s crazy, man.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Miami versus Notre Dame is one of the most talked-about matchups of Championship Week, even though neither team…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":426684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1428,1426,13874,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-426683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-college-football","9":"tag-miami-hurricanes","10":"tag-notre-dame-fighting-irish","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115667569679834273","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}