Overview
- Keionte Scott jumped a screen for a 72-yard interception return as Miami surged to a 14-0 first-half lead and never trailed.
- Carson Beck went 19-of-26 for 138 yards with a touchdown and set a Cotton Bowl mark with 13 straight completions, while Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 90 yards.
- Ohio State’s Julian Sayin finished 22-of-35 for 287 yards with two interceptions and five sacks, as Jeremiah Smith posted 157 receiving yards and a fourth-down touchdown.
- The Buckeyes entered as 9.5-point favorites and the defending champions, yet their loss extends the first-round bye skid to 0-5 in the 12-team CFP era after a 25-day layoff.
- Ohio State ruled out starting guard Tegra Tshabola minutes before kickoff with Gabe VanSickle starting, Nick Saban lauded Miami’s relentlessness postgame, and the Hurricanes advance to face Georgia or Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 in Glendale.