Last night, Notre Dame knocked off the No. 1 team in the country, the Miami Hurricanes. The Irish entered this matchup with their backs against the wall after the CFP committee ranked them 11th in their initial rankings, with a loss likely knocking them out of playoff contention for the remainder of the season. We've seen Marcus Freeman and the Irish in this situation before at home and not get the job done, but thankfully, that wasn't the narrative last night. 

This was a must-win game for Notre Dame and with their backs against the wall, got the job done and advance to 8-1 on the season. Coming into this game, we knew the offense was going to have to play a major role in their success. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock got his unit ready and scored 31 points in their seven-point victory over the Hurricanes. Here are my three key takeaways from the Notre Dame offense in their monumental win over the No. 1 team in the nation. 

All week, we talked about how your 'dudes needed to be dudes' and the offense didn't have a bigger 'dude' last night than quarterback CJ Carr. The junior signal caller had strung together a pretty good season, but had yet to have that signature performance like we saw him have last year against Arkansas or Purdue. Last night was his moment, and not just for the season, but for his Fighting Irish career. The Saline, Michigan native ended the night completing 29 of his 40 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. 

The 6-2, 215-pound signal caller took about a drive to get into a solid rhythm and once he got there, he didn't slow down. Carr completed 73 percent of his passes and ended with a 164.2 passer rating. The 319 yards he passed for was his season high and he hit 10 different pass catchers throughout the night to get there. When you think of the memorable quarterbacks that have come through South Bend, you think of their 'Notre Dame moment' and Carr had his last night. 

Carr was a force last night, but in order for him to be the player we knew he could be, his jersey had to be kept clean against the best defensive line they had faced this season. The Notre Dame offensive line put together an absolute elite performance as pass blockers. Last season, the offensive tackle position was a weakness in their season opener against Miami. Last night, it was the strength of their pass rush. According to PFF, left tackle Will Black and right tackle Guerby Lambert only allowed one pressure each. 

Right guard Sullivan Absher didn't allow a single pressure while left guard Anthonie Knapp only allowed one pressure which was a hit on the quarterback. Center Ashton Craig had a rough night in the run game, but was steady as a pass blocker while allowing three pressures all night but zero sacks and zero hits on the quarterback. As a team, they only allowed six pressures (five hurries and one hit) and held stud defensive end Marquise Lightfoot to zero pressures generated, his lowest output of the season. In fact, their defensive end trio of Lightfoot, Armondo Blount and Damon Wilson II only combined for three total pressures. The job the offensive line did in pass protection was elite. 

Coming into last night, Notre Dame needed a player, or players, to step up in the perimeter. We were confident somebody would, we just didn't know who that somebody was. Senior wideout Jordan Faison and junior boundary receiver Micah Gilbert answered that call and did it in resounding fashion. The duo combined for 15 receptions, 175 yards and three scores against the struggling Miami secondary and were truly difference makers throughout the matchup. 

In his redemption game from last season, Faison went for six receptions, 77 yards and one touchdown while Gilbert's big plays stole the show as he went for nine receptions, 98 yards and two scores. Faison and Gilbert were also the only two receivers to catch touchdown passes against the Hurricanes defense last season in Coral Gables and continued their production against Miami in South Bend. If this is the type of performance we can expect from this duo in the biggest moments, they'll continue to produce into the post season. 

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