Malik Zaire gave Miami fans fresh material this week when the former Notre Dame quarterback argued that Marcus Freeman is a better coach than Mario Cristobal and claimed the Hurricanes had "the chance of a lifetime" by facing the Irish early last season.
Freeman has earned plenty of respect in South Bend after leading Notre Dame to a 14-2 season and a berth in the College Football Playoff national championship game after the 2024 season. The Irish followed that by finishing 10-2 in 2025 despite being left out of the 12-team playoff.
“Cristobal is the not the coach Freeman is, they got the chance of a lifetime playing us early last year”
— Jake “JBOY” Crain (@JakeCrain_) June 23, 2026
-@MalikZaire8 on the @CanesFootball vs @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/GJmWg8pIVq
Notre Dame alum takes a shot at Miami
Freeman has built something great at Notre Dame, but Zaire's point about Miami getting lucky with the timing does not hold up when the actual game is examined.
Miami and Notre Dame both entered the Aug. 31 season opener ranked in the top 10. The Irish were No. 6 and Miami was No. 10.
While Miami did have the home-field advantage at Hard Rock Stadium, both teams were either hurt by, or benefited from, it being the opening week. The narrative that Notre Dame somehow got the short end of the stick because it was week one needs to stop.
The Hurricanes won 27-24 because they converted during the biggest moments of the game. Miami finished with 20 first downs to Notre Dame's 18 and held the ball for 33:57. The Hurricanes rushed for 119 yards and held the Irish to 93 on the ground.
Miami also forced two turnovers while committing none. Carson Beck threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. CJ Carr threw for 221 yards and two scores, but Miami sacked him three times and picked him off once.
Notre Dame had rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and tied the game at 24, but Miami answered the call. Carter Davis drilled a 47-yard field goal with 1:04 remaining to put the Hurricanes ahead for good. Miami's defense then sacked Carr on each of Notre Dame's final two plays to close the game.
It was a close game between two talented teams in which Miami protected the football better and executed better when they needed to do so.
Cristobal does not need Zaire or anyone else to declare him a better coach than Freeman. One win does not settle a full career comparison, but it does settle the 2025 Miami-Notre Dame game. So the revisionist history of that matchup needs to stop and ND fans/anybody connected to the program have got to start looking ahead.
Add us as a preferred source on Google