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12/31 23:28 CST Miami beats defending national champ Ohio State 24-14 in the
CFP quarterfinal at Cotton Bowl
Miami beats defending national champ Ohio State 24-14 in the CFP quarterfinal
at Cotton Bowl
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) --- Keionte Scott peeked over at the Miami sideline to
see the reaction of his teammates as he sprinted 72 yards untouched for a
touchdown when returning an interception against defending national champion
Ohio State.
They certainly were excited, as were a Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver and a
former coach who won national championships with the Hurricanes.
Scott picked off a screen pass by Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin, Carson
Beck threw a touchdown pass and 10th-ranked Miami shocked the Buckeyes 24-14 on
Wednesday night at the Cotton Bowl in the first College Football Playoff
quarterfinal.
"I was full of emotions. ... That was a pretty cool moment," said Scott, who
has TD returns on both of his interceptions this season. "Just having fun. ...
That's what this team relies on, man, just going out there playing free and
just having fun."
The Hurricanes (12-2, CFP No. 10 seed) have won two playoff games to get into
football's final four after needing an at-large berth to make the 12-team
field, after not even without playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference
championship game. One more win and they will get to play for a national
championship in their home stadium.
Next for Miami in coach Mario Cristobal's fourth season is a CFP semifinal at
the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 against No. 3 seed Georgia or No. 6 seed Ole Miss,
the SEC teams in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night.
There hasn't been a national title for "The U" since 2001, when Cristobal was
an offensive tackle for the Hurricanes and part of his second championship
there. The Hurricanes were denied a repeat the following season with a
double-overtime loss in the Fiesta Bowl to Ohio State, the only other time the
teams met in a bowl --- and the last they played in that game.
"It is 100% not about me. I'm part of their team, I'm a part of that family,"
Cristobal said. "It is my obligation as a former Miami Hurricane player and all
the things that Miami did for my brother and I to do my best to try to provide
these guys with even better opportunities so they can fulfill all the great
things that are destined for"
Before Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin and coach Jimmy Johnson
won Super Bowl titles with the Dallas Cowboys, they were part of the
Hurricanes' 1987 national championship. Irvin excitedly ran down the sideline
while Scott was scoring for a 14-0 lead, and Johnson was nearby when
acknowledged by Cristobal during the on-field trophy presentation.
Now it's third-ranked Ohio State (12-2, CFP No. 2 seed), which went into the
game as a 9 1/2-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook, that can't win
back-to-back national titles for the first time in program history.
The Buckeyes hadn't played since a 13-10 loss to now-No. 1 Indiana in a Big Ten
championship game matchup of undefeated teams on Dec. 6. They still got a
first-round bye, then lost just like all four teams that went directly to the
quarterfinal round in the inaugural 12-team playoff last season.
"We worked really hard during the last three weeks leading up to this game to
come out of the gates and win the first quarter, win the first half, be ready
to go," Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. "I think the guys bought into it. But at
the end of the day, we didn't get it done."
Scott's interception return came only 1:42 after Beck's quick pass to Mark
Fletcher Jr. coming out of the backfield for a 9-yard score.
Beck, who was part of Georgia's national titles in 2021 and 2022 when Stetson
Bennett was the starter, completed 19 of 26 passes for 138 yards.
When asked what stood out to him about Miami, Beck said, "Just the way that
this team has responded to adversity. We knew coming into today that it wasn't
going to be easy."
The TD throw to Fletcher, who also ran 19 times for 90 yards and was the game's
offensive MVP, was the seventh of 13 consecutive completions for Beck. That set
a record in the Cotton Bowl, which was played for the 90th time.
Sayin, a freshman backup behind Will Howard for Ohio State's championship run
last season, was 22 of 35 for 287 yards with two interceptions and a TD to
Jeremiah Smith. Sayin was sacked five times.
AP All-America receiver Smith, the Miami native, caught seven of those passes
for 157 yards, including a 14-yard TD on a fourth down in the fourth quarter.
Carter Davis added a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter and ChaMar Brown
ran for a 5-yard TD in the game's final minute for the Hurricanes, whose 24
points were the most Ohio State gave up this season.
The takeaway Miami: The Hurricanes have won six games in a row since an overtime loss Nov. 1 at SMU, less than 25 miles from AT&T Stadium, where the Cotton Bowl is played. They also made their CFP debut in the Lone Star State, winning 10-3 at No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round on Dec. 20. Ohio State: All-America safety Caleb Downs, who started in the CFP for the third season in a row, became the first player to force two fumbles in a CFP game. ... The Buckeyes had gone four consecutive quarters --- the equivalent of a full game --- until Bo Jackson's 1-yard TD run to cap its opening drive of the second half.
Up next Miami waits to see who it will play in the Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State is scheduled to open the the 2026 season at home against Ball State on Sept. 5. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
The takeaway Miami: The Hurricanes have won six games in a row since an overtime loss Nov. 1 at SMU, less than 25 miles from AT&T Stadium, where the Cotton Bowl is played. They also made their CFP debut in the Lone Star State, winning 10-3 at No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round on Dec. 20. Ohio State: All-America safety Caleb Downs, who started in the CFP for the third season in a row, became the first player to force two fumbles in a CFP game. ... The Buckeyes had gone four consecutive quarters --- the equivalent of a full game --- until Bo Jackson's 1-yard TD run to cap its opening drive of the second half.
Up next Miami waits to see who it will play in the Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State is scheduled to open the the 2026 season at home against Ball State on Sept. 5. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
