Eric Boggs
Ohio State’s quest to defend its national championship ended abruptly Friday night in Arlington as the Buckeyes fell 24–14 to No. 10 seed Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, closing the season with back-to-back losses after an unbeaten regular season.
For the first time in nine years, Ohio State was shut out in the first half, and despite a determined second-half rally, the early deficit proved too steep to overcome. The Buckeyes finish 12–2, also having lost the Big Ten Championship Game to Indiana at the beginning of December.
Miami seized control early, outgaining Ohio State 110–9 in the first quarter and capping a 13-play, 83-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Carson Beck to Mark Fletcher Jr. Early in the second quarter, the game’s turning point arrived. Two plays after Julian Sayin connected with Jeremiah Smith for a 59-yard gain — Ohio State’s first real offensive spark — Miami nickelback Keionte Scott jumped a screen pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Hurricanes’ lead to 14–0.
That pick-six loomed large as Ohio State’s offense continued to struggle, compounded by a missed 49-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding just before halftime. Miami later answered with its own 49-yard kick by Carter Davis midway through the third quarter, restoring a 10-point advantage.
The Buckeyes finally found their footing after the break. On the opening drive of the second half, Ohio State marched 82 yards in 11 plays, with freshman Bo Jackson punching in a 1-yard touchdown to cut the deficit. Early in the fourth quarter, Ryan Day made an aggressive call on 4th-and-2 at the 14-yard line, and Sayin delivered, finding Smith for a touchdown that trimmed the lead to 17–14 and gave the Buckeyes real momentum.
But when the game hung in the balance, Miami executed where Ohio State could not.
Twice on the Hurricanes’ final drive, the Buckeye defense had chances to force a stop on third down and return the ball to its offense. Twice, Miami converted. A quick pass to CharMar Brown on 3rd-and-medium, followed later by a tunnel screen to CJ Daniels on 3rd-and-4, broke Ohio State’s resistance. The latter play, in particular, served as the dagger. With under two minutes left, Daniels’ conversion effectively ended the comeback bid.
“It was frustrating,” safety Caleb Downs said. “We didn’t get the stop that we needed to have, and it just lost us the game.”
Miami’s CharMar Brown added a 5-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds remaining, and Sayin’s final deep attempt was intercepted by Jakobe Thomas, officially sealing the upset.
The numbers told the story. Ohio State converted just 3-of-10 third downs (30%), while Miami went 7-of-14 (50%), including the two critical conversions on the final drive. Sayin faced constant pressure, taking five sacks and completing only 3-of-6 passes for 21 yards on third down. The Buckeyes repeatedly found themselves in long-yardage situations, with half of their third downs coming at 3rd-and-7 or longer.
Despite the loss, several individual performances stood out. Jeremiah Smith recorded his sixth 100-yard receiving game of the season. Caleb Downs became the first player in CFP history with two forced fumbles in a single game. Carson Beck set a Cotton Bowl record with 13 consecutive completions across the first two quarters, and Miami became the first team all season to reach 17 points against the Buckeye defense.
The game also featured key injury and lineup changes. Gabe VanSickle made his first career start at right guard, while Ian Moore replaced Austin Siereveld at left tackle in the second half. Lorenzo Styles Jr. exited in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return.
The loss drops Ohio State to 7–5 all-time in the College Football Playoff, 3–3 against Miami, and 3–2 in the Cotton Bowl. It also extends a curious trend — the Buckeyes are now 0–3 in games played on New Year’s Eve. For Ryan Day, the defeat marked his second loss to Miami coach Mario Cristobal, who previously beat Ohio State while at Oregon in 2021.
In front of 71,323 fans, Miami became the first double-digit seed to reach the CFP semifinals. For Ohio State, the season ends with frustration, reflection, and the lingering sense that better execution in the game’s most critical moments — especially on third down — might have kept a back-to-back championship bid alive.
