ARLINGTON, Texas — No. 10 Miami yanked the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes out of their comfort zone and punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 24-14 win in the Cotton Bowl.
Miami set the tone early with speed off the edge and discipline on the back end. The Hurricanes outgained Ohio State 110-9 in the first quarter, then cashed in early in the second when quarterback Carson Beck capped a 13-play, 83-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown throw to running back Mark Fletcher Jr.
Two minutes later, the Hurricanes took an even bigger swing. Defensive back Keionte Scott jumped a quick screen from Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, sprinted 72 yards untouched and put Miami up 14-0.
The rest of the half, Miami’s defensive front squeezed the life out of Ohio State’s offense. The Hurricanes dropped Sayin five times, with defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor logging two sacks and linebacker Rueben Bain Jr., defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot and linebacker Wesley Bissainthe adding one apiece. Ohio State took a shutout into the locker room, then tried to muscle the game back after halftime.
Out of halftime, Buckeyes’ running back Bo Jackson finished an 11-play, 82-yard opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the lead in half. Miami answered with points, not drama. Kicker Carter Davis drilled a 49-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10, then the defense kept hunting.
Ohio State made it a one-score game early in the fourth when Sayin hit wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on a fourth-down, 14-yard touchdown, but Miami didn’t blink. The Hurricanes leaned on their run game, milked five minutes off the clock and finished a 10-play, 70-yard drive with running back CharMar Brown powering in from 5 yards out with 55 seconds left.
Beck kept the offense on schedule all night, finishing 19-26 for 138 yards and a score while setting a Cotton Bowl record with 13 straight completions. Fletcher powered Miami’s balance with 19 carries for 90 yards, plus two catches for 25 yards and the touchdown. Scott’s pick-six stood as the headline play, and Miami’s 24 points marked the most Ohio State surrendered all season.
Next up, head coach Mario Cristobal takes Miami to the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 to face the Sugar Bowl winner between Georgia and Ole Miss, with a trip to the national title game on the line.
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