SOUTH BEND, IND. – Throughout their storied rivalry, Miami and Notre Dame have given college football more than a few hard-fought, high-stakes matchups.

The teams’ meeting on Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium was no different.

The Hurricanes and Irish traded possessions and scores for much of the second half before Notre Dame – which led by as many as 21 early in the third quarter – fought off a Miami rally and managed to escape with a 31-24 win over the top-ranked Hurricanes.

Miami, though, showed plenty of fight, driving down the field inside the game’s final four minutes to try and tie it – or potentially take the lead.

Instead, officials ruled that tight end Elija Lofton did not have possession of the fourth-down pass thrown to him in the corner of the end zone by Miami quarterback Darian Mensah.

Mensah, who completed 24 of 43 passes and threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns, ran down the field to celebrate with Lofton, thinking the tight end had made the catch that would have pulled the Hurricanes within one with the extra point attempt or a potential two-point conversion pending.

Instead, Mensah – like the rest of his teammates and coaches – were left stunned by the officials’ ruling that Lofton hadn’t made the catch.

“Really, really disappointed that they negated Elija Lofton’s touchdown with two hands on the ball and two feet in bounds,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “But like we told our team before we left Miami, do not leave it in the hands of the officials or 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 the football in bounds.”

Added Mensah, “I thought it was a touchdown. But you can’t leave it up to one play, can’t leave it in the hands of the officials. I’ve got to play better.”

While Miami (8-1) showed plenty of fight in the second half, Notre Dame looked like a team on a mission from the start Saturday.

The Irish, ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and No. 11 in last week’s initial College Football Playoff rankings, took the game’s opening possession down the field and wasted little time getting into Miami territory.

The Hurricanes defense managed to limit the damage on that drive, holding the Irish to a 44-yard field goal from Spencer Porath.

But early in the second quarter, Notre Dame (8-1) was able to push its lead further when CJ Carr ended a quick, four-play, 65-yard scoring drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Faison.

It was after that, facing a 10-0 deficit, that Miami’s offense put together its first effective possession of the night.

Mensah found Cooper Barkate on a 24-yard play to open the drive, then three straight run plays helped the Hurricanes cross midfield.

Mensah then connected on a 22-yard pass with Vandrevius Jacobs that pushed Miami further into Irish territory. And that, combined with two Notre Dame penalties, helped set the Hurricanes up with a first-and-goal on the Irish 1-yard line.

But Miami – which was playing without leading receiver Malachi Toney, who was hurt in practice earlier this week – wasn’t able to punch it in after three straight run plays, and the Hurricanes settled for a 19-yard field goal from Jake Weinberg to pull within a score.

“We got knocked back there and were trying to punch that ball in on the sneak, so we tried to run the ball outside with Darian,” Cristobal said. “That didn’t work out, so we took points, but you’d like to get that ball in the end zone, certainly. Can’t give away points in a game like this.”

The two teams then traded possessions before Notre Dame broke through the Miami defense again. This time, Carr found Micah Gilbert on an 18-yard touchdown pass that capped an 8-play, 81-yard scoring drive that took all of 1:39 off the clock and pushed the Irish lead to 17-3 just before the half.

Another quick Notre Dame scoring drive early in the third quarter then put the Hurricanes in a world of trouble.

After Miami was unable to score on its first possession of the second half, Faison took Dylan Joyce’s punt and returned it 56 yards to put the Irish inside the Miami 30.

Two plays later, Carr and Gilbert connected again and after the extra point, the Irish pushed the lead to 24-3, further increasing the biggest deficit the Hurricanes have faced all season.

Still, even in a hostile environment, with the temperatures dropping, and the offense struggling early to get into a rhythm, Miami responded.

The Hurricanes scored on back-to-back possessions when Mensah hit Lofton on a 12-yard touchdown pass that capped an 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive and then connected with Barkate on a 12-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Hurricanes within 24-17 after the extra point.

Barkate finished with 10 catches for 92 yards, while Lofton had seven catches for a game-high 113 yards.

Miami’s defense then forced a quick three-and-out on Notre Dame’s ensuing possession and it seemed the Hurricanes had taken all the momentum until, on the Hurricanes’ next drive, Mensah was picked off by Notre Dame’s Luke Talich at midfield.

The Irish quickly capitalized on the mistake and regained their 14-point lead when Nolan James Jr. scored on a 1-yard run.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to start faster,” Mensah said. “I’ve got to play better. Can’t turn it over in those situations and I’m really just hurting for our guys right now.”

After the turnover, though, the Hurricanes continued working to cut the Irish lead.

With 9:53 left, Mensah and Barkate connected again, this time on a 1-yard touchdown play that pulled the Hurricanes within a score.

But that was as close as Miami would get after its late drive – and a final desperation play in the game’s final seconds – came up short.

“Again, really proud of our players for fighting back the way they did because we really started poorly,” Cristobal said. “We couldn’t convert on third down. We had just a tough time offensively and our defense had a tough time getting their cleats on the ground. But one play at a time, we gained our momentum back and found ourselves with the ball, with possession a couple of times, to either tie the game … or maybe try to go for two there at the end.”

While Saturday’s loss snapped Miami’s eight-game win streak and will likely prove costly in the polls and playoff ranking, the Hurricanes stressed the key for them now is to continue finding ways to improve, especially with three conference games still on the schedule and all their goals still within reach.

And that was where the focus shifted even before Miami left South Bend.

“This is supposed to hurt. We shouldn’t make excuses for a loss like this, but Duke is a great team, and we’ve got to play them next week regardless if we won or lost this game,” Barkate said. “I don’t know if you saw their game today, but they’re a hell of a team. So, probably let this hurt for another day or so, Monday, it’s all forward on Duke.”

Said Mensah, “This one definitely stings and we’ve got to, like I said earlier, we’ve got to use it. … Everything we want is still in front of us and we’ve got to just stay positive and be ready to come work on Monday.”