The Hurricanes pulled off a huge win as a double-digit seed, knocking off the former CFP champions in the quarterfinals.
The Fiest Bowl officially has one team in it for the CFP semifinals, and the Miami Hurricanes have their biggest win in 23 years. The No. 10 ranked Hurricanes stunned the sports with a 24-14 upset of the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl for the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31. It was a game that went back and forth for most of three quarters, with Miami having the lead thanks largely to an early pick six. The fourth quarter began with the Hurricanes leading the defending CFP champions 17-7.
The Buckeyes made a stand to start the final quarter with a touchdown to make it 17-14. Then Miami simply imposed their will in the run game. Ohio State was allowing an average of 84.5 yards per game on the ground. In one drive in the fourth, the Hurricanes rushed for 45 yards alone. They took control with a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that took 5:01 off the clock. A clutch interception by their defense on the following drive sealed the victory for the underdogs.
Here is the full story by Buckeyes Roundtable writer Anthony Moeglin on the shocking loss for the defending CFP champions, and what happened in Arlington on Wednesday night.
Ohio State was expected to dictate the game, as they narrowly lost 13-10 to the No. 1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten championship. Buckeyes kicker Jayden Fielding missed a field goal. That would repeat in the team’s appearance in the CFP when he missed a 49-yarder right before halftime, where the team was down a demoralizing 14-0. It wouldn’t have made the difference in a 10-point loss, but nothing was clutch for the defending champions.
They were 3-of-10 on third down, while the Hurricanes were 7-of-14. Miami won the turnover battle 2-1. They outrushed Ohio State 153 to 45 yards. Carson Beck didn’t have the flashiest night, going 19-of-26 for 138 yards and one touchdown. He was clutch when he needed to be in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Julian Sayin had a solid night but threw two costly turnovers. The Hurricanes also fared better on the run, mostly led by Mark Fletcher Jr.
When a team loses the turnover battle, the rush battle, on third down, and in time of possession, they should lose the football game. Miami had the ball for a little over 33 minutes in addition to winning in every other metric. In turn, they’ll now head as a double digit to the semifinals to take on the winner of No. 6 Ole Miss or No. 3 Georgia – who will face off in the Sugar Bowl – on Jan. 8 at 7:30 in the Fiest Bowl.