Ohio State Gameday: Buckeyes and the Miami Hurricanes Finally Take the Field in Dallas on Wednesday
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The wait is finally over. After 26 long days and 3.5 long weeks, the Ohio State Buckeyes are finally back on the field against the Miami Hurricanes in Dallas on Wednesday night.
The storylines are vast, the rivalry is thin, but it burns hot; both teams are vying for their opportunity to play in the Fiesta Bowl for a semifinal.
Ohio State comes into this game coming off a tough loss to Indiana, but with the firepower to absolutely repeat as National Champions. They are led on offense by a Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback, a superhuman at one wide receiver, and a top-15 pick at the other wide receiver.
On defense, it is a group of aliens, with the best one being Caleb Downs. Downs is the prototypical coach on the field. He is the guy who makes sure everything is right, and when mistakes are made in front of him, he cleans them up with relative ease.
In front of him are two superstars at linebacker and a defensive line that is overlooked and disrespected. The Buckeyes have the ammo to get another huge win and move on to the Semifinals.
On the other side, the Miami Hurricanes are trying to play spoiler on the Buckeyes' repeat chances. Over their last five games, they have turned it on and have been playing significantly better football down the home stretch of the season.
Their engine is their defensive line. Up front, they have two game wreckers in Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, who combined have 16 sacks on the season. The duo has the ability to wreck football games and change outcomes.
If they don't get the job done, the players in the secondary cover everything up for them. Bryce Ftizpgerald and Jakobe Thomas lead the way with 10 interceptions combined for a unit that has only given up two passing touchdowns since Nov 1st.
On offense, the Hurricanes take a step back. Carson Beck leads the way at quarterback, and his two top weapons are his running back, Mark Fletcher Jr., and his freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney. The young wideout has eight touchdowns in his rookie season, while Fletcher Jr. is the bell cow back for the 'Canes.
The rematch of '03, the contender versus the pretender, the hometown hero that got away, the quest for the repeat, or just the Cotton Bowl Classic. Whatever storyline you have your eye on, it finally gets written tonight.
Ohio State versus Miami for the Cotton Bowl Classic and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl in Scottsdale, Arizona, at 7:30 PM EST on New Year's Eve.
Buckle up, it gameday.
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