Miami stuns Ohio State in Cotton Bowl, reaches CFP semis
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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Mario Cristobal shared a moment with legendary Miami coach Jimmy Johnson on the sideline during the Hurricanes' 24-14 win over No. 2 Ohio State on New Year's Eve. The man who recruited Cristobal to The U was on hand along with former greats Michael Irvin and Ray Lewis.
No. 10 Miami turned back the clock on the field too, withstanding a second-half surge from the defending national champion Buckeyes to become the first double-digit seed to make the College Football Playoff semifinals in the 12-team playoff era.
The Hurricanes, whose postseason hopes looked bleak after an overtime loss to SMU in Dallas on Nov. 1, returned to Texas and won two games -- at No. 7 Texas A&M on Dec. 20 and Thursday against the Buckeyes -- to pull to one game away from a national championship appearance at Hard Rock Stadium, their home field.
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Miami jumped on the Buckeyes, holding them to nine yards in the first quarter, their fewest in any quarter since having minus-6 in the first quarter against Michigan in 2017, according to ESPN Research. The Hurricanes racked up 110 yards, the second most the Buckeyes allowed in a first quarter all season.
After Miami scored on a 9-yard throw from Carson Beck to running back Mark Fletcher Jr., Ohio State's Julian Sayin completed a 59-yard strike to Jeremiah Smith on the first play of the Buckeyes' next drive, and it looked like they could quickly even the score. But Keionte Scott stunned Sayin two plays later, stepping in front of a screen pass, intercepting it and returning it 72 yards for a touchdown, the second-longest pick-six in College Football Playoff history.
"I shot my shot, and the ball went in my hands," Scott said. "I was full of emotions. I think I took a little moment to peek at the [Ohio State] sideline and look at everybody and let them know what was going on. So that was a pretty cool moment. ... Just having fun. At the end of the day, that's what this team relies on -- just going out there, playing free and just
having fun."
After trailing 14-0 at halftime, Ohio State closed the gap to 17-14 with 13:28 left in the fourth quarter. But Miami's defense, which harassed Sayin with five sacks, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions, was able to withstand the Buckeyes. CharMar Brown scored a 5-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left to finish a 10-play, 70-yard drive that took 5:01.
The Hurricanes were able to grind out the win, picking off Sayin two plays later amid a fierce pass rush. Their 24 points were the most Ohio State gave up this season.
Our players kept responding," Cristobal said. "Our players kept coming with their counterpunch. The touchdown drive at the end and then to finish it off with an interception ... those are great counterpunches. Those are just really left hooks to the body and to the head. Those are great, great counterpunches by our team."
The Miami offense wasn't flashy, but it was physical, including the play of Beck, who completed 73.1% of his passes for 138 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers. He especially showed his toughness on a play in the fourth quarter, on third-and-11 at the Miami 24, when he scrambled for 11 yards, fighting for every yard.
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