Well, here we go. The real road to a repeat national championship begins on New Year’s Eve when the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Quarterfinals at the Goodyear
Cotton Bowl Classic.
If it feels like January of 2003, that’s valid (if you know, you know).
Unlike last year at the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes will not be playing a team from Texas. Miami beat Texas A&M in the First Round, 10-3, and will play in the Quarterfinals as the No. 10 seed.
Is that an advantage for the Buckeyes? Maybe. But this is a Playoff game. Ohio State, even with all the talent they have on their roster, still need to play at their peak to advance and get closer to repeating as national champions.
Let’s take a look at the Hurricanes, players to watch, and keys to the game on New Year’s Eve.
Quarterback: Carson Beck
Stats: 74.5 Cmp%, 3,175 yds, 26 TD, 10 INT
Beck bet on himself and transferred to Miami this past offseason, and the return on investment for him has been really good. He has five games this season with three or more touchdown passes, including a streak of three such games leading into the College Football Playoff First Round at Texas A&M.
In addition, Beck has two games with 300+ passing yards and 10 games with a completion percentage of 70 or higher. Of his 10 interceptions, four came against Louisville in mid-October, with two more two weeks later at SMU. So six of his interceptions came in Miami’s two losses.
Say what you want about Beck. He has been really good for most of this season, and the Buckeyes’ defense must take him seriously in the Cotton Bowl.
Four Miami Players to Watch
1. Malachi Toney (WR)
Stats: 89 rec., 992 yds, 8 TD
By now, it should be no secret who Toney is.
As a Freshman, he has burst onto the scene big time as a home-run hitter. Four of his eight touchdowns this season have come in the Hurricanes’ last four games, and he scored the only touchdown in the First Round against Texas A&M.
In addition, Toney has four games with 100+ receiving yards. Toney has just two games with fewer than five receptions this season. He wants the ball, and he gets it. His explosiveness is on full display most times he takes the field, and the Buckeyes’ secondary must have a plan for him to be able to limit his impact on the game.
2. Mark Fletcher Jr. (RB)
Stats: 158 rush, 857 yds, 10 TD; 14 rec., 107 yds, TD
Fletcher is coming off a prolific First Round performance at Texas A&M, rushing for 172 yards on 17 carries. It’s his fourth game with 100+ rushing yards and first since late October.
While he may not get a lot of carries and be a true workhorse at running back, Fletcher can break loose for a big run any time he touches the ball. Priority No. 1 will be stopping Fletcher in the Cotton Bowl.
3. Akheem Mesidor (DL)
Stats: 46 TKL, 7 sacks, 12 TFL, 5 QBH, 4 FF
Containing Mesidor will be a challenge. He is everywhere up front defensively for a Hurricanes defense that plays with a chip on its shoulder.
Prior to Miami, Mesidor played the first two seasons of his college career at West Virginia. He was a Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2021, and he was also an ESPN Freshman All-American First Team selection in 2020.
4. Jakobe Thomas (DB)
Stats: 49 TKL, 4 INT, 4 PBU, 2 FF, 2 FR, 3 sacks, 3.5 TFL
Whereas Mesidor is a menace up front, Thomas is the playmaker on the back end. He causes havoc as a tackler and turnover maker.
Thomas could cause problems for Julian Sayin and the passing game, especially given that this is Sayin’s first Playoff start. It will be fascinating to see who Thomas matches up against and if he can contain either Jeremiah Smith or Carnell Tate.
Head Coach: Mario Cristobal
4th Season, 33-18; 15th Season Overall, 95-78
A two-time national champion with the Hurricanes as a player from 1989 to 1992 as an offensive tackle, Cristobal has won everywhere he has been. Now, he’s brought the Hurricanes back to the forefront of college football, a place Miami is very familiar with.
It hasn’t always been pretty since Cristobal arrived in Coral Gables in 2022, but the Hurricanes have climbed from five wins that first season to 11 this season. After losing bowl games in each of the previous two seasons, the Hurricanes won a College Football Playoff game for the first time in program history this past weekend at Texas A&M.
Prior to Miami, Cristobal was a two-time Pac-12 Champion at Oregon and the 2019 AP Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Coaching Justin Herbert into a future First-Round draft pick in 2020, the Ducks won the Rose Bowl in 2019 with their offensive line being a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in the country.
Before coaching at Oregon, Cristobal led Florida International for six seasons, leading the Panthers to the Sun Belt Championship in 2010 and a win in the Little Caesar’s Bowl. Cristobal was also named Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2010.
Cristobal coached tight ends for two seasons and offensive line for one season at Miami in the mid-2000s, just over a decade after being named First-Team All-Big East in 1992 as an offensive tackle.
Offensive Coordinator: Shannon Dawson (3rd Season)
Dawson was instrumental in Cam Ward’s development at Miami into the eventual No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This season, Dawson has helped Carson Beck become one of the nation’s most effective quarterbacks.
Prior to Miami, Dawson served as an offensive coordinator at Houston, Southern Miss, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
Defensive Coordinator: Corey Hetherman (1st Season)
Miami’s defense has flourished in Hetherman’s first season, allowing just 13.8 points per game and 277.8 total yards per game.
Prior to Miami, Hetherman was the defensive coordinator at Minnesota in 2024 and at James Madison from 2019 to 2021. In the two years in between those roles, Hetherman served as Rutgers’s linebackers coach.
Keys to the Game
1. Stop the run
It sounds so simple, but it can’t be stated enough. The Buckeyes’ defense must stop the run, particularly Hurricanes’ running back Mark Fletcher Jr. Do that, and their defense could make it a long day for Miami’s offense.
2. Run the ball
On the other side, the best way to slow down Miami’s offense is to simply keep them off the field. How do you do that? By running the football… but only after setting the tone in the passing game.
3. Special teams
Considering what happened late in the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Championship, special teams could be a deciding factor in this game. Don’t hold your breath too much.
4. Let your best players cook.
Set the tone early by unleashing Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate. Let Miami think, in doing so, that they have no chance of winning this game.
Score Prediction: Ohio State 38 — Miami 17
This is a game Ohio State should win comfortably. Miami is a really talented team, but having played Indiana should have the Buckeyes prepared for the Hurricanes’ physicality and vertical passing attack.
If the Ohio State defense stops Miami’s running game, this game could be over long before the ball drops in Times Square.
