On November 1st, Miami suffered a 26-20 overtime loss to SMU in Dallas, falling to 6-2. Two months later, the Hurricanes returned 23 miles southwest to Arlington to vie for the College Football Playoff Semifinals. On Wednesday, though, they took on Ohio State, the defending National Champions, who had lost their first game on December 6th vs. Indiana in the Big 10 Championship Game.
While Wednesday’s Cotton Bowl Playoff appeared as a mismatch favoring Ohio State, it was Miami that came out executing out of the gate, and ultimately pulled up a 24-14 upset of the Buckeyes.
“They have two really good edge rushers, so we knew we had to get the ball out of our hand quickly,” Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin said about Miami’s defensive front line after the game. “There were times today where I held on [to] the football, and they were able to get to me.”
Miami dominated the first 16 minutes of the game. On their second drive, Mark Fletcher Jr. ran it up the middle in the red zone, but fumbled and recovered by Ohio State. In Miami’s next drive, the offense worked it down the field on a 13-play and 83-yard drive, ending with a Carson Beck touchdown throw to Fletcher Jr.
“Those guys up front; they are the hardest working group,” Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. said about the offensive line on Wednesday’s win. “We know we needed them to step up big in this game. But if you look at that tape, they weren’t the only ones moving people out of the way. You got tight ends doing it and receivers. They just move people out of the way, and I choose a hole and run.”
Ohio State started its next drive with a 59-yard Julian Sayin throw to Jeremiah Smith. Two plays later, Keionte Scott read Sayin’s throw to the flat and took it the other way 72 yards for a pick six. It was the first interception return for a touchdown in 5 years (Tre Norwood from Oklahoma took one back against Florida in 2020).
“With all the skill players on one side of the ball, [I] knew the ball was coming in that area,” Miami cornerback Keionte Scott said about his interception return for a touchdown. “As soon as the tight end motioned, I confirmed in my head [and] made up in my mind that I was going at that moment. Shot my shot, and the ball went in my hands.”
In the final 90 seconds of the first half, Ohio State marched down to field goal range, a drive that started at the Buckeyes’ two-yard line. They moved 67 yards in a game in which they had only 87 yards in the half before the drive. However, Jayden Fielding missed a 49-yard field goal, which went wide left.
“I felt like it took us a while to get the rhythm of the game,” Buckeyes’ coach Ryan Day said about the slow start of Wednesday’s Cotton Bowl loss. “When you have the start that we did, you put yourself at risk of having to be really darn near perfect in the second half to go win the game.”
The Buckeyes did pick up the rhythm in the second half. On the opening possession of the half, Ohio State took an 11-play and 82-yard drive lasting nearly 7 minutes. The drive consisted of two completions of 14 yards or more and a Bo Jackson 18-yard run. Jackson ran up the middle for the Buckeyes’ first score of the game to cut Miami’s lead by 7.
The Hurricanes responded on a scoring drive of their own, a drive that nearly turned disastrous. On third down inside the Buckeyes’ 40, Beck found Malachi Toney on a short completion, but Toney fumbled. Although Toney recovered the fumble, it forced a Carter Davis 49-yard successful field goal attempt, extending the Hurricanes’ lead to 10.
Ohio State took the next drive down 75 yards on 10 plays, with a couple of big catches by Jeremiah Smith, ending on a Smith touchdown catch from Sayin, which continued to add pressure to Miami.
Miami clinched the victory with another lengthy five-plus-minute drive that ended with a CharMar Brown touchdown run. All three of the Hurricanes’ offensive scores consisted of drives lasting five minutes or longer and nine plays or more.
“It was frustrating. We didn’t get the stop on third down,” Ohio State safety Caleb Downs said on the last Miami offensive drive.”
Ohio State suffers its second loss in its last three Cotton Bowl appearances. It is also their first non-Big 10 loss since December 29, 2023, when Missouri beat Ohio State in Arlington during the Cotton Bowl.
For Miami, they will face the winner of Georgia and Ole Miss in their Sugar Bowl matchup on Thursday night. That semifinal matchup will take place at Glendale, Arizona, for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
“Incredibly proud of these guys,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobel said after the game. They’re the absolute best human beings and next competitors I’ve been around. Looking forward to all the things that I could have done better. We could have done better to keep improving so that we could be prepared to go to Arizona.”
