Miami tops Ohio State, advances to College Football Playoff semifinals
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The defending champions have been dethroned.
The Miami defense shut down Ohio State's offense and defeated the Buckeyes 24-14 in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, on Dec.31.
The Hurricanes, 11-3 and seeded No. 10 in the CFP, will face the winner of the Jan. 1 game between No. 3 Georgia and No. 6 Ole Miss. That semifinal will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale Arizona.
The Buckeyes, who were seeking to be the first team in school history to win back-to-back national championships, finished 12-2.
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin completed 22 of 35 passes for 287 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions and was sacked five times. His counterpart, Carson Beck, was 19 for 26 for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith caught seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown.
Miami dominated the first half and led 14-0 at halftime, but the struggling Ohio State offense got on track on the first possession of the third quarter. Bo Jackson capped an 11-play, 82 yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Miami responded, though, with Carter Davis kicking a 49-yard field goal to stretch the Hurricanes' lead to 17-7.
On the next possession, Sayin hit Smith on a 14-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-2 to make it 17-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State forced Miami to punt on the ensuing possession but couldn't moved the ball and punted it back with 6:04 remaining. Costly on the OSU possession was a holding penalty on right tackle Phillip Daniels. it was the first accepted penalty of the game.
The Hurricanes pushed the Buckeyes around on the next possession and put the game away when CharMar Brown scored on a 5-yard run with 55 seconds remaining to put the game away.
The first half was not nearly as exciting as the ending.
The first quarter was scoreless, but the Hurricanes had the upper hand in the trenches. Miami gained 110 yards and held the Buckeyes to 9. Miami rushed for 56 yards and held OSU to minus-1.
Miami took a 7-0 lead with 13:31 remaining in the second quarter when Carson Beck hit Mark Fletcher on a 9-yard touchdown pass. The Hurricanes were lined up in a run formation, and Fletcher surprised them by flaring out for an uncontested screen pass. The scoring drive went 83 yards in 13 plays and took 8:04.
On the Buckeyes' next possession, Keionte Scott intercepted a screen pass thrown by Julian Sayin and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown, giving Miami a 14-0 lead. The pass was intended for Brandon Inniss, and Jeremiah Smith missed a block to let Scott free to make the interception.
The play marked the third consecutive game in which Sayin threw an interception in the first half.
The Buckeyes had a chance to score late in the first half, but Jayden Fielding missed a 49-yard field goal attempt with one second left.
Miami outgained Ohio State 165 yards to 154 and had an 11-8 edge in first downs. Miami also had the ball for 19:15 compared to 10:45 for the Buckeyes.
Sayin was 11 for 20 for 157 yards and the interception in the half. He was sacked three times. Beck was 14 for 18 for 98 yards and a TD and was sacked once.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Miami football tops Ohio State, advances to CFP semifinals
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