The final score from Saturday night says that Notre Dame beat Miami 31-24, but Hurricanes’ coach Mario Cristobal isn’t so sure.
At issue for Cristobal is an incomplete pass on fourth-and-6 from the Fighting Irish’s 16-yard line, where safety Luke Talich broke up a Darian Mensah pass attempt that receiver Elija Lofton first looked like he’d hauled in. Because the pass was ruled incomplete after Lofton couldn’t complete the catch before going out of bounds and Talich knocked it loose, the drive ended with no points, and that was the last time the Hurricanes threatened.
After the game, Cristobal was furious because he felt the refs blew a call that changed the game entirely. At the very least, the contest likely would have gone to overtime, and with the Hurricanes completing a big comeback, his team would have had the momentum over a shaken Notre Dame squad.
In blasting the officials, Cristobal even hinted that the Fighting Irish got some home cooking from the referees. Even worse, he seemed to suggest that he knew they would get special treatment.
“Out here?”
— Oliver VanDervoort (@itmeolliev) November 8, 2026
Brosef, it’s not like the officials all live in South Bend. They’re ACC officials. https://t.co/6Na7PoKEDe
Miami and Notre Dame disagree on Luke Talich’s 4th-and-6 pass breakup
“Really, really disappointed that they negated Elija Lofton’s touchdown with two hands on the ball and two feet in bounds,” Cristobal said, kicking off his postgame press conference. “But like we told our team before we left Miami, do not leave it in the hands of the officials, because that’s what you’re going to get out here.”
“So aside from that, a very hard-fought game. Congratulations to Notre Dame for winning the game, and very disappointed in the way that was called with the game on the line and clear possession of a football inbounds.”
For Irish fans, the “out here” comment is especially annoying. Cristobal hinting that the refs leaned toward Notre Dame is particularly silly, considering the crew was from the ACC. If anyone could have made a case for bias, it would be the Fighting Irish, especially after the feuding and fighting late last season around the 2025 Notre Dame game vs. Miami.
As last season drew closer to the College Football Playoff and it appeared one of the final spots in the field would come down to the Irish or the Hurricanes, the ACC launched a full-on PR campaign for Cristobal’s crew. Social media posts, followed by an entire day of the ACC Network replaying the season opener that Miami won, showed who the conference favored.
And yet, ACC refs were favoring Notre Dame? Not likely.
If it’s true that Cristobal wasn’t given any explanation for why the referees ruled the pass incomplete, it is unfortunate the game wasn’t a true ACC game, since the conference lets television viewers hear how replay officials confer on calls like Saturday night’s.
Because viewers didn’t get to hear how the officials discussed the play on replay and still ruled it an incomplete pass, Miami fans and Mario Cristobal believe biased referees beat them. Notre Dame and its fans believe the call was correct, Luke Talich was a hero, and the Fighting Irish knocked off the No. 1 team in the country.
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