Five Hurricanes who may decide the Cotton Bowl playoff matchup vs. Ohio State

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DALLAS — The Hurricanes are the underdog against Ohio State in Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

That is no surprise. The Buckeyes spent most of the season as the No. 1 team in the nation. Their only loss was against current No. 1 Indiana. Ohio State has All-Americans all over the roster.

But UM can win the game. The Hurricanes have the talent, and they already went on the road and beat Texas A&M as the underdog.

If Miami is going to win, they need these five players to step up:

Carson Beck, quarterback

Obviously, Miami’s quarterback is going to play a massive role in the game. But the Hurricanes need Beck to have a better game than he did against Texas A&M. The veteran quarterback did not do much wrong against the Aggies, but arguably his biggest contribution was telling offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson that the inside running game was wide open for UM to exploit.

Beck ended the year on a high note, playing some of his best football at the close of the regular season. Miami needs Beck to make plays to keep the Buckeyes from locking in on the running game.

Keelan Marion, wide receiver

When the Aggies locked down star wide receiver Malachi Toney, the Hurricanes needed another receiver to make big plays instead. They did not really get that, and the offense sputtered as a result. The Buckeyes will surely do their best to shut down Toney, so UM will need another receiver to step up.

Marion may be that receiver. The BYU transfer became one of Beck’s top targets when fellow receiver CJ Daniels was banged up during the last month of the regular season. Marion had 304 yards and a score in the last four games of the regular season, but he had three catches for 33 yards against the Aggies.

If another wide receiver steps up to complement Toney, the Hurricanes’ offense gets more dangerous.

James Brockermeyer, center

Brockermeyer has been a solid anchor for UM’s offensive line all season. He has a difficult task on Wednesday.

The Buckeyes feature All-American defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, who is one of the nation’s best run-stopping defensive linemen. McDonald has a stellar 92.2 run-defense grade, which is the No. 1 grade among all of the nation’s defensive tackles.

Brockermeyer — and Miami’s offensive guards — are tasked with stopping him and helping open up running lanes.

Rueben Bain Jr., defensive end

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has been one of the nation’s most accurate passers this year. When he is kept clean in the pocket, his 83.1 completion percentage is No. 1 in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus. When he is under pressure, his completion percentage drops to 61.5 (which is still among the best in the nation when under pressure).

Bain is one of the players tasked with putting pressure on Sayin.

Bain has been one of the nation’s top pass-rushers this year. Among defenders with 100 or more pass rushes, his 91.6 pass-rushing grade from PFF is tied for 10th in the nation. His 66 quarterback pressures is the third-most nationally. After notching three sacks against Texas A&M, the star defensive end has 42 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks this season.

Bain and his teammates will have to get into the backfield and make Sayin’s life difficult in order to give UM’s defense a good shot at containing the Buckeyes.

Miami’s secondary

Is it cheating to pick the whole unit? Maybe. But the Hurricanes are going to need the entire group to step up to defend the star receiver duo of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

The cornerbacks assigned to cover those receivers will likely have help from the safeties in coverage. It will be a team effort to contain the pair. Smith and Tate have combined for 1,924 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns this season. They both rank in the top five in receiving grade.

If the Hurricanes can’t contain them, their chances of winning are low.

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