MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. _ There was, this week, so much talk of history.
In the days leading up to Notre Dame's first game against the Hurricanes in Miami since 1989, UM coach Mark Richt recalled his own experience playing in the storied rivalry. Hurricanes greats returned to campus and were on the sideline on Saturday, hoping their presence would inspire the next generation of Miami players.
And there was the hope from so many Miami fans that on this night, the Hurricanes could recreate some of the magic of those legendary games at the Orange Bowl when Miami was a dominant force in college football.
In that regard, the modern-day Hurricanes delivered all of that _ and proved they were more than ready to create some history of their own.
Seventh-ranked Miami set the tone early, harassing Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush so much he was pulled by Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly in the first half. And the Hurricanes' offense moved the ball nearly at will, scoring early and often in what ultimately turned out to be a 41-8 upset of the third-ranked Fighting Irish.
The victory was the Hurricanes' 14th straight and avenged yet another one of those Miami losses of a season ago, something that has mattered to these Hurricanes players
And this one was a bookend of sorts.
It was Miami's largest win over the Irish since the Hurricanes' 58-7 victory in 1985. And it was Notre Dame that last beat Miami, hanging on for a 30-27 win in South Bend last October after the Hurricanes rallied from a 20-point deficit.
Since, it's been nothing but win after win for the Hurricanes and come Tuesday, after this dominant performance against the Irish and losses by top-ranked Georgia and sixth-ranked TCU, it's all but guaranteed that Miami will rise in the College Football Playoff rankings and could find itself holding one of the coveted top-four spots.
But entering Saturday night, that was never the goal. The Hurricanes wanted to handle the Irish _ the rankings and playoff possibilities would take care of themselves after that.
So quarterback Malik Rosier shined, connecting with Braxton Berrios on a 7-yard touchdown to score Miami's first touchdown. And then Rosier added the second score of the night on a 16-yard run.
The redshirt junior, one of the question marks for the Hurricanes entering the season, was a steady 15 of 24 for 137 yards. He added another 44 rushing yards.
Then there was Miami's defense, which was challenged with stopping Notre Dame's dominant rushing attack, an attack that featured six different players averaging at least 6 yards per carry.
The Hurricanes on this night, held Notre Dame to just 109 rushing yards and Josh Adams, who entered the game as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate that had scored on seven runs of at least 60 yards, was held in check, finishing with just 40 yards. Wimbush, meanwhile, was intercepted three times in the first half, first by Jaquan Johnson, then by Malek Young.
And while each interception brought out Miami's now-famous Turnover Chain and created a frenzied celebration on both the Hurricanes sideline and in the stadium, it was the third interception that proved biggest.
On that one, with just 22 seconds left before the half and with Ian Book in for Wimbush, freshman Trajan Bandy snagged the ball and scored on a 65-yard return, giving the Hurricanes their first defensive score of the season.
After that, the hits _ and the touchdowns _ kept on coming.
Freshman DeeJay Dallas, who has worked his way into the running back rotation, had a 4-yard scoring run in the third quarter and another 4-yard scoring run with four minutes left that punctuated a night that won't be forgotten any time soon in South Florida.
Dallas finished with 56 yards and running back Travis Homer had a game-high 146 yards.
