Miami beats defending nationwide champ Ohio State 24-14 within the CFP quarterfinal at Cotton Bowl

Keionte Scott returned an interception 72 yards for a landing, Carson Beck threw a scoring cross and No. 10 Miami shocked defending champion Ohio State 24-14 on Wednesday evening on the Cotton Bowl within the first School Soccer Playoff quarterfinal.The Hurricanes (12-2, CFP No. 10 seed) have gained two playoff video games to get into soccer’s closing 4 after needing an at-large berth to make the 12-team subject, even with out taking part in within the Atlantic Coast Convention championship recreation. Yet one more win and they’ll get to play for a nationwide championship of their dwelling stadium.Subsequent for Miami in coach Mario Cristobal’s fourth season is a CFP semifinal on the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 towards No. 3 seed Georgia or No. 6 seed Ole Miss, the SEC groups within the Sugar Bowl on Thursday evening.There hasn’t been a nationwide title for “The U” since 2001. The Hurricanes have been denied a repeat the next season with a double-overtime loss within the Fiesta Bowl to Ohio State, the one different time the groups met in a bowl recreation.Now it is third-ranked Ohio State (12-2, CFP No. 2 seed), which went into the sport as a 9 1/2-point favourite in response to BetMGM Sportsbook, that will not be capable of win back-to-back nationwide titles for the primary time in program historical past.The Buckeyes hadn’t performed since a 13-10 loss to now-No. 1 Indiana in a Massive Ten championship recreation matchup of undefeated groups on Dec. 6. They nonetheless obtained a first-round bye, then misplaced identical to all 4 groups that went on to the quarterfinal spherical within the inaugural 12-team playoff final season.Scott’s second pick-six this season got here when he jumped a fast display screen cross to the left thrown by Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin, then had a wide-open subject to dash untouched to the tip zone for a 14-0 lead with 11:49 left within the first half.That got here only one:42 after Beck’s fast cross to Mark Fletcher Jr. popping out of the backfield for a 9-yard rating.Beck, who was a part of Georgia’s nationwide titles in 2021 and 2022 when Stetson Bennett was the starter, accomplished 19 of 26 passes for 138 yards. The TD throw to Fletcher, who additionally ran 19 instances for 90 yards, was the seventh of 13 consecutive completions for Beck to set a document within the Cotton Bowl, which was performed for the ninetieth time.Sayin, a freshman backup behind Will Howard for Ohio State’s championship run final season, was 22 of 35 for 287 yards with two interceptions and a TD to Jeremiah Smith. Sayin was sacked 5 instances.AP All-America receiver Smith, the Miami native, caught seven of these passes for 157 yards, together with a 14-yard TD on a fourth down within the fourth quarter.Carter Davis added a 49-yard subject objective within the third quarter and ChaMar Brown ran for a 5-yard TD within the recreation’s closing minute for the Hurricanes, whose 24 factors have been probably the most Ohio State gave up this season.The takeawayMiami: The Hurricanes have gained six video games in a row since an additional time loss Nov. 1 at SMU, lower than 25 miles from AT&T Stadium, the place the Cotton Bowl is performed. In addition they made their CFP debut within the Lone Star State, profitable 10-3 at No. 7 Texas A&M within the first spherical on Dec. 20.Ohio State: All-America security Caleb Downs, who began within the CFP for the third season in a row, grew to become the primary participant to pressure two fumbles in a CFP recreation. … The Buckeyes had gone 4 consecutive quarters — the equal of a full recreation — till Bo Jackson’s 1-yard TD run to cap its opening drive of the second half.Up nextMiami waits to see who it’s going to play within the Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State is scheduled to open the the 2026 season at dwelling towards Ball State on Sept. 5.