5 things we learned from Hurricanes’ statement win over Ohio State

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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Hurricanes are one of the last four teams standing.

With the win over Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Wednesday night, Miami has reestablished itself as one of the nation’s top teams.

It was a statement victory in a season that has had several of them, from the season-opening win over Notre Dame to the gutty road victory over Texas A&M in the first round.

Here are five things we learned from UM’s win in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night:

All about the trenches

Mario Cristobal is an offensive line coach. He wants to bully teams at the line of scrimmage. Cristobal made the trenches his priority when he got to Miami, and his first full recruiting class at UM had the pair of trench stars Francis Mauigoa and Rueben Bain Jr. in it. Since arriving at Miami, Cristobal has signed six composite five-star recruits. All six are offensive or defensive linemen.

That style of play is not always aesthetically pleasing. Hurricanes fans grew frustrated as one too many runs up the middle got stymied in key moments. But it paid off at the Cotton Bowl. The Hurricanes mauled the Buckeyes in the trenches. Bain and Akheem Mesidor, an early transfer who Cristobal signed before his first season at UM, combined for 3.5 tackles and three sacks. Miami held Ohio State to a season-low 45 rushing yards.

And when the Hurricanes needed to secure the win, they turned to the trenches again, as their ground game carried them to the game-sealing touchdown.

Another dynamic duo

There has been a lot of attention given to the defensive-end combo of Bain and Mesidor, and it is deserved. But there is another dynamic duo on the defense that deserves just as much credit: nickel back Keionte Scott and safety Jakobe Thomas.

Both players transferred to Miami from SEC schools. Scott last played at Auburn, and Thomas transferred from Tennessee. Neither were stellar at their previous schools.

The pair has transformed into two of the top defensive backs in the nation.

Scott, who missed three games at the end of the season with a foot injury, has been all over the field since he returned for the playoffs. He was dominant around the line of scrimmage against Texas A&M, making two sacks and forcing a fumble. He had the play of the game on Wednesday, jumping a short route and returning it for a touchdown.

Thomas, who lost to the Buckeyes in the playoffs when he played for Tennessee last year, had seven tackles and ended the game with an interception of his own.

Carson Beck does what is needed

Ohio State star receiver Jeremiah Smith had more receiving yards Wednesday (157) than Carson Beck had passing yards (138). But Beck’s team won, and Smith’s team did not.

Beck was not perfect in the win over Ohio State. He did not connect for any big passing plays downfield. But he was exactly what UM needed. Beck protected the football and avoided a turnover for the second straight playoff game. He was accurate, completing 73% of his passes. And Beck was hard-nosed, running when he needed to and picking up a fourth-quarter first down by scrambling and lowering his shoulder into the hit.

“There was a third down earlier in the game that I thought I had gotten; I dived for it, but I guess I didn’t get there. I was just a little bit short,” Beck said. “When I didn’t get that one, I was like, ‘You know what? If I get in that situation again, I’m running somebody over, and I’m getting the first down. I’m putting my body on the line to win this football game.’

“And I was presented the opportunity, and I wasn’t going to slide. I wasn’t going to go down.”

Beck has only 241 passing yards across two playoff games. But in part because of his performance, he will get to play a third.

Ground and pound

For the second game in a row, Miami relied on its running backs for the bulk of its offense. Junior Mark Fletcher Jr. did not have the outstanding statistical output he had against the Aggies, but the American Heritage alum bounced back from an early fumble to catch a 9-yard touchdown and rush for 90 yards.

The Hurricanes got some fresh legs into the game in the fourth quarter, as Marty Brown got his first playoff touches. Brown had a first-down catch, a big 13-yard run and the touchdown that put UM ahead by 10.

“To see my brother out there, I told him that I need you,” Fletcher said. “And, shoot, he just had my back. That’s what I love to see, man. I feel like we got the best running back room in the country.”

If you can beat the Buckeyes…

… you can beat anyone. Ohio State spent the vast majority of the season as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Hurricanes beat the Buckeyes, and it was not a fluke.

Miami will face the winner of Thursday’s Georgia-Ole Miss Sugar Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8. The Hurricanes may have been nearly double-digit underdogs against the Buckeyes. They will not be taken so lightly again.

“It means everything to me,” Beck said. “It means everything to this team to get to somewhere that we haven’t been. We haven’t been in for so long. This team has constantly battled through adversity, constantly fought, has never not given enough, regardless of any type of doubt, regardless of any negativity that might surround this team. We’re banded together as one. We’ve shown unity, we’ve shown connection, and we’ve shown that we’re a family. I feel like the way that we play and the brand of football we play shows that.”

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