Ex-Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett suits up as the Grinch, taunts Miami

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Ex-Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett suits up as the Grinch, taunts Miami

As Dr. Seuss would say, every Miami fan likes the Hurricanes winning national championships a lot. But a running back who lived up north in Columbus did not.

In an ode to “stealing” a national championship away from Miami, Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett poked fun at Miami for the Buckeyes‘ 31-24 double-overtime victory in the BCS national championship, dressing up as the Grinch in a photo on social media on Dec. 22.

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The Buckeyes play the Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl CFP quarterfinal on Dec. 31, the first bowl game between the two schools since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, when Clarett helped Ohio State stay ahead of Miami in a big way.

“I’m here to steal @miamihurricanes Christmas and hopes of a National Championship again!!!” Clarett captioned the photo in an X post.

Clarett had one of the many wild plays in the Buckeyes’ upset win over the Hurricanes, forcing a key turnover while on offense in the third quarter. Up 14-7, Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel threw a red-zone interception, picked off by Miami safety Sean Taylor. The defender sprinted up the field near the sideline when Clarett charged at Taylor and stripped the ball from his right arm.

Clarett single-handedly kept possession alive for the Buckeyes after the Krenzel turnover.

Ohio State's Maurice Clarett (13) starts to pull the ball out of the hands of Sean Taylor (26). Miami 51 is Jonathan Vilma in the fourth quarter of the National Football Championships at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, January 3, 2003.

Miami eventually tied the game and forced overtime but failed to score at the goal line in the second overtime. Clarett was one of many heroes in the victory, rushing for two touchdowns along with the forced fumble and recovery.

Dispatch readers voted the play the best in Ohio State football history in January 2025, beating out Jack Sawyer’s 83-yard scoop-and-score from the 2024 CFP semifinal.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-Ohio State football RB Maurice Clarett taunts Miami as the Grinch

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