Marcus Freeman Reacts to CJ Carr, No. 11 Notre Dame's Upset of Darian Mensah, No. 1 Miami in Video

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman wanted his players to savor Saturday's 31-24 victory over top-ranked Miami.

Freeman called the upset a "special moment." While he's still focused on the larger goals, he understands the significance of taking down the Hurricanes.

"This is big, this is special," he told reporters. "I'm not going to sit here and say this is like the other ones. No, this is different. There was a lot of emotion, a lot of physical preparation, mental preparation, we put into this. I want them to enjoy it."

The Fighting Irish jumped ahead 24-3 in the third quarter before Miami attempted its comeback. The Hurricanes twice cut the deficit to one score but couldn't erase Notre Dame's lead.

The result will have had Heisman Trophy implications.

Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr went 29-of-40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns, while Miami's Darian Mensah was 24-of-43 for 276 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Carr is the Heisman betting favorite (+150) at FanDuel Sportsbook.

The College Football Playoff selection committee will eventually have its say as well.

Notre Dame being ranked 11th despite having a 7-1 record was one of the more contentious choices by the CFP voters. Now, the team figures to make a big jump.

"We learned that last year, it doesn't matter what you're ranked until the last week, and that's the truth," Freeman said. "We don't need to focus on it. We don't need to talk about it. Our job was to leave no doubt today, and they [did not]."

Of course, Saturday's win will be irrelevant if Notre Dame stumbles before the finish line. The Fighting Irish have Boston College, SMU and Syracuse the rest of the way.