Early report might have handed Miami Hurricanes a notable edge over Notre Dame
The Irish could be shorthanded in key spots against the best offense in college football this season.
The stage is set for one of the biggest games of the 2026 college football season, with the Miami Hurricanes traveling to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday in South Bend. Both teams sit in the top 5, so this matchup comes with plenty of hype and will be analyzed endlessly in the days leading up to kickoff.
Very little separates these two programs. The Irish are a 5.5-point favorite at home, which means any edge one team can gain over the other could prove instrumental in the outcome.
For Miami, that edge might come from an unexpected place. The Hurricanes have been banged up significantly over the course of the season. Coming into this one, though, they might hold the advantage on the health front.
Notre Dame injury report hits the Irish defense hard
According to Irish Illustrated’s Drew Mentock, Notre Dame’s initial availability report for the week includes a number of crucial players who have either been ruled out or listed as questionable.
Linebacker and team captain Drayk Bowen is out with an ankle injury. Safety Brauntae Johnson is out with a foot injury, and cornerback DJ McKinney is out with an ankle injury.
Notre Dame’s interior defensive line duo of Francis Brewu and Jason Onye are both listed as questionable with knee injuries they suffered in last week’s 35-13 win over Navy. If neither player suits up, the Irish would be without five important defenders. That’s a tough way to go into a game where they’re trying to become the first team to slow down the Hurricanes’ prolific and explosive offense.
Taking a hit in the middle of the defensive line could be the most damaging scenario of all. A defense can sometimes patch holes in the secondary with scheme and coverage help. Getting pushed around in the trenches by an offense this physical and talented is a much harder problem to solve.
Miami has slowly gotten healthier
The Hurricanes haven’t had an easy road on the injury front. Miami has suffered some season-ending losses, including running back Marty Brown and wide receiver Joshua Moore.
However, the Canes have slowly managed to get some players back and improve their overall health as the season has gone on. Right now, they look like they could be the healthier team coming into Saturday.
Of course, Miami isn’t at full strength either. Starting cornerback O.J. Frederique and starting offensive lineman Max Buchanan still haven’t returned. Both are significant pieces that have been hard to replace.
Still, when you stack the two injury lists side by side, Notre Dame appears to have more to worry about at the moment. The Irish are dealing with absences across all three levels of their defense, and they’re doing it against the best offense in college football.
Whether Brewu and Onye are able to go remains to be seen, and their status could change as the week progresses. For the time being, the Irish could be in an even tougher spot trying to slow down a Miami attack that has given everyone else fits.
