Miami argues Lofton catch should have tied game against Notre Dame
Coaches and players disputed a call that denied a late touchdown in a 31-24 loss to the Fighting Irish.
By Ivan Dvorak ·
The Miami Hurricanes lost their bid for a potential national championship title on Saturday night when officials ruled that Elija Lofton did not complete a catch that would have cut the Notre Dame lead to one point. The Fighting Irish won the game 31-24 in South Bend, Indiana.
The controversy centers on a play in the late fourth quarter. Lofton caught a pass with both hands and both feet in bounds, but the ball was knocked away by Notre Dame defensive back Luke Talich. Both players went out of bounds, and the referees called the play incomplete. Had the catch stood, Miami would have made the score 31-30 with an extra point attempt to follow.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal argued that the team had clear possession of the football. “They negated Elija Lofton's touchdown with two hands on the ball and two feet inbounds,” Cristobal said. “Do not leave it in the hands of the officials.. Congratulations to Notre Dame for winning the game, but very disappointed in the way that was called with the game on the line and clear possession of a football inbounds.”
Quarterback Darian Mensah, who threw the pass, believed the play was complete. “I thought it was a touchdown,” Mensah said. “I was celebrating.”
Notre Dame player Luke Talich, who stripped the ball from Lofton, felt the receiver did not have full control. “I felt like he didn't have control of it,” Talich said. “I was glad. I was super pumped-up when they upheld it.”
Terry McAulay, a rules analyst on the NBC broadcast, agreed with the on-field decision. He noted that Lofton bobbled the ball slightly before it was knocked out. “It's incomplete,” McAulay said.
The outcome of Saturday's game mirrors a loss from 1988 that still haunts Miami fans. In that year, the Hurricanes lost to Notre Dame by a score of 31-30. The 1988 defeat stemmed from a disputed fumble call involving Cleveland Gary near the goal line. Miami has maintained for 38 years that Gary did not fumble, a claim supported by former star Randal Hill, who called the call “robbed.”
The statistical parallels between the two games are striking. In 1988, Miami entered the game ranked No. 1 in the country and Notre Dame was No. 4. The same rankings applied to Saturday's matchup. The 1988 loss eliminated Miami from the national title race, a fate that did not happen on Saturday despite the close margin of defeat.
The Hurricanes entered the game without leading receiver Malachi Toney, who is injured. Toney was second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in receptions with 73 and third in receiving yards with 1,027. He accounted for 46% of Miami's touchdown receptions in the first eight games of the season. In his absence, Cooper Barkate caught two touchdown passes and Lofton had one, but the team fell behind by 21 points in the third quarter before mounting a comeback.
The loss does not end Miami's season. The team remains in contention for the College Football Playoff. The next step for the Hurricanes is to secure a victory to keep their title hopes alive.
