Miami Hurricanes’ message after upsetting Notre Dame: ‘Don’t count us out’
Rueben Bain Jr.’s phone showed all the motivation he needed.
Whenever the Miami Hurricanes’ star edge rusher turns it on and looks at his lock screen, he sees a screenshot of an article that, he said, talked about him in a way that “wasn’t a positive manner.”
“I don’t take too kindly to disrespect,” Bain said. “So if I see something, it’s definitely on my bulletin board and that’s my mindset all week. If I’m tired, I’ve got to think about that. I know somebody’s doubting us out there. When the the day comes, you better put some respect [on us]. Whatever time it is, on the field, Greentree [UM’s practice field], Hard Rock, concrete, we’re gonna get it in wherever and show you why we’re Hurricanes.”
So perhaps it was fitting that Bain was part of final play that sealed the 10th-ranked Hurricanes’ 27-24 upset win over the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday.
With 16 seconds left and UM holding to the three-point lead, Bain and fellow defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor bull rushed the right side of Notre Dame’s offensive line to bring down quarterback CJ Carr for a game-ending sack — the second in as many plays to wrap up the game.
“It’s special,” said Bain, who also had an interception in the fourth quarter to go along with six tackles.
Miami was a home underdog for the marquee season-opening matchup, perhaps fitting considering the Hurricanes have been trying to shake the narrative that they’re still a ways away from their glory days.
Sunday wasn’t always pretty, especially late. Miami blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter before Carter Davis hit a go-ahead 47-yard field goal with 1:04 left on the clock and the defense held on its final drive.
But the Hurricanes got that elusive marquee win — their first top-10 victory in the Mario Cristobal era — and it came against a Notre Dame team that just last season played in the College Football Playoff title game and returned plenty of its stars from that team.
While one win won’t define a season, it’s the type of resume builder that will boost Miami’s chances of making the playoffs this year and provides a sense of validation after the Hurricanes made massive changes after falling just short of the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and the 12-team playoff field a year ago.
And, Hurricanes players say, it sends a message to the rest of the college football world.
“Don’t count us out,” Mesidor said. “Don’t ever count us out.”
It would have been easy to do so with the way the second half was unfolding and Miami’s penchant over the past few years for blowing pivotal games.
The Hurricanes took a 21-7 lead after marching down the field on its opening drive of the third quarter. Twelve plays, 75 yards, a 5-yard touchdown by running back CharMar “Marty” Brown after the offensive line made a strong push at the goal line, 7:37 taken off the clock.
After that? Miami’s offense went three-and-out on four consecutive drives, allowing Notre Dame to rally. The Fighting Irish eventually tied the game with 3:21 left on a 7-yard quarterback keeper by Carr.
An implosion seemed pending.
But the Hurricanes still had a chance, and that’s all this team needed.
Quarterback Carson Beck, who was stellar in the first half of his UM debut and his first game back since offseason elbow surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow during the SEC Championship Game in December while with Georgia, huddled his teammates together and gave them a simple message.
“I told them we were going to go score,” said Beck, who completed 20 of 31 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
They methodically moved down the field, using 10 plays over 2:15 to get in range for Davis to hit the go-ahead field goal.
“Just control what we control,” said Brown, who carried the ball six times for 22 yards on that decisive drive. “Just keep being physical and keep playing our game.”
The defense took care of the rest.
“You know the old saying, these are heavyweight bouts, and rounds 11 through 15 are going to separate the winners and the guys that don’t win it,” Cristobal said. “So we knew it was going to somehow, some way, get to this, and we just felt that if we were tired, that they were going to be more tired. And that was a chance at a ‘whatever it takes mentality,’ and going to get it done.”
Somehow, some way, Miami got it done.
Now, the Hurricanes have to build on that momentum. Cristobal has been building the Hurricanes toward this over the past three years. He knew the Hurricanes could be a contender again like they were in his playing days, even if it they haven’t won a title since 2001.
Sunday provided a glimpse of that potential.
“It’s just an unbelievable night for so many people that poured so much into this,” Cristobal said. “Just grateful to be in this opportunity and really hungry and driven [for] the next one.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2025 at 11:49 AM.
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