Ohio State’s bid for the program’s first back-to-back national championships has ended. After deciding not to show up in the first half of this year’s Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes dug themselves far too deep a hole against a Miami team that was starting to feel itself. Despite a valiant effort in the second half, the reigning champions fell just short, as Miami bullied its way to a 24-14 win at AT&T Stadium.
Ohio State came into this game 0-2 on New Year’s Eve. Those two losses? 31-0 to Clemson in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl and the 42-41 missed field goal at midnight loss in the 2022 Peach Bowl to Georgia. It was the first time Ohio State allowed 24 points in a game since the loss to Oregon last year, and the first time it lost by multiple scores since the 2023 Cotton Bowl.
This also marks the fifth loss by a top-four seed out of five in the 12-team CFP era.
Ohio State Bullied by Miami in Shocking Cotton Bowl
Worst-Possible Start
Ohio State must have felt like it needed to pay homage to the Cotton Bowl because the first half was about as soft an effort by the Buckeyes as could be. The game kicked off just like that infamous Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State’s defense looked to form on the first drive as Miami (FL) couldn’t get anywhere. Then, the Hurricanes’ defense forced Ohio State into a three-and-out. Okay, that’s the kind of game we are going to get, just like last year’s Cotton Bowl against Texas.
Miami started to get a little momentum, primarily by bullying the Ohio State defensive line in the run game. Mark Fletcher was going to be a key to this game, and he carried the Hurricanes into the redzone for the first time, but lost the ball thanks to Peyton Pierce punching it out and recovering it. Ohio State has been great off turnovers this year, but off that fumble, the Buckeyes couldn’t get anything.
Miami got the ball back and mounted an incredible 13-play, 83-yard drive, culminating in a cheeky third-and-one pass from Carson Beck to Fletcher when everyone on the defense thought the Hurricanes were going to run it. The Buckeyes seemingly woke up. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Julian Sayin stepped up and hit Jeremiah Smith on a 59-yard gain to set the Buckeyes up on the 16. Then, Sayin was sacked. Then, Keionte Scott perfectly read and jumped on an obvious screen for a 72-yard pick-six.
At the break, Miami only held a 165-154 advantage in terms of yards. However, the Buckeyes had negative three yards on the ground. 67 of those yards for Ohio State came on the final drive before the half, but it resulted in another wide-left missed field goal. Just like the miss against Georgia. At the break, Miami held a 14-0 lead, holding Ohio State scoreless in the first half for the first time since…the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.
Buckeye fans were having plenty of “Day”-ja vú.
Ghostbusters
When you make your money by being incredibly accurate, poised, and unflappable, there is an expectation when the lights get bright. Last year, Will Howard was who he was; there was no Heisman hype around him. He was just a gritty game manager who could pick up the easy yards on the ground if need be. Sayin is a pick-you-apart quarterback. Or, he was.
Between the Big Ten Championship and the Cotton Bowl, Sayin was sacked 10 times. In the 12 regular-season games, he was sacked five times. It was apparent that it took a toll on the redshirt freshman. He was skittish, quick to drop his eyes, and missed his hot reads. On the pick-six, for example, the play was to sling it out to Brandon Inniss. However, he had Max Klare wide open across the middle for a touchdown. He was seeing ghosts.
Then, Day fixed the game plan, and Sayin took over in the second half. Thanks to great blocking up front, Bo Jackson gashed the Hurricanes left and right, opening things up for Sayin. On the first drive of the second half, Jackson carried the load for 36 yards, including the one-yard score that put the Buckeyes on the board. On the next Buckeye drive, after Miami went down to kick a long field goal, Sayin picked the Hurricanes apart again. He found Jeremiah Smith twice on the drive, the second of which was a 14-yard touchdown off a slant. He finished the day with 157 yards and one touchdown. Sayin started off the second half with 10 consecutive completions.
Bully Ball
The difference in this Cotton Bowl was how ferocious the Miami lines were. On both sides of the ball, the Hurricanes dictated what Ohio State could do, led by that stout defensive line. Rueben Bain Jr., a future first-round pick, was in the Buckeye backfield more often than he was on the bench. From the jump, he was destroying everything the Buckeyes wanted to do up front. Whether it was pure strength, well-timed stunts, or just bending around the edge, Bain showed why he is widely considered a top pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.
Bain only finished the game with one-and-a-half tackles for loss and one sack. However, his impact was felt off the scoresheet. His defense recorded seven tackles for loss and five sacks on the day.
If it weren’t for the Hurricanes’ tenacious defense shutting down the Buckeyes in the first half, this would have been a very different game. Ohio State was able to get something going in its first two drives of the second half. However, when Miami needed it, the defense stiffened up and delivered the win.
On offense, the Hurricanes’ offensive line neutralized the vaunted Buckeye front. Ohio State was only able to manage four tackles for loss and two sacks. Carson Beck was clean for most of the night and was able to dink and dunk his way down the field. Beck didn’t have to play hero ball. The veteran quarterbacked the program’s biggest win since before he was born, with a 19-for-26 day passing for 138 yards and one score. Most impressively, he did not throw a single interception.
On the ground, Fletcher didn’t have the night he did against Texas A&M, but he was impressive. He led the way with 90 yards on 15 carries.
What’s Next
With the win, Miami gets to move on to the Fiesta Bowl and will face the winner of Georgia and Ole Miss on January 8. If it’s Georgia, it will be the 13th time the Hurricanes will face the Dawgs. Georgia owns a 7-4-1 advantage all-time. If it’s Ole Miss, it’ll mark just the fourth time Miami will play the Rebels. Ole Miss owns a 2-1 advantage.
Ohio State gets into the offseason with many questions. The most pressing question will be who leaves for the NFL? That will be answered in the coming weeks, but as for the 2026 schedule, it gets a little more difficult than it was this year. Out of conference, the Buckeyes get Ball State, Kent State, and a trip to Texas. The nine-game Big Ten slate features four away games at USC, Iowa, Indiana, and Nebraska. Meanwhile, Oregon, Illinois, Maryland, Northwestern, and Michigan get to play at Ohio Stadium.
Main Image: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
