Keionte Scott couldn’t help but glance toward the Miami sideline as he raced down the field, 72 yards of green grass and history unfolding in front of him. The Hurricanes’ defensive back had just jumped a screen pass, and by the time he crossed the goal line untouched, No. 10 Miami had seized full control of a College Football Playoff quarterfinal that few outside the program believed they would win.
Behind Scott’s electrifying interception return and a poised performance from quarterback Carson Beck, Miami shocked No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 on Wednesday night in the Cotton Bowl Classic, punching its ticket to the CFP semifinals and moving one step closer to a long-awaited return to the sport’s ultimate stage.
The Hurricanes (12-2, CFP No. 10 seed) have now won two playoff games despite entering the 12-team field as an at-large selection and not even playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. One more victory would send “The U” to the national title game — fittingly, in its home stadium.
Scott’s defining play came just 1:42 after Beck capped an efficient opening drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mark Fletcher Jr. out of the backfield. When Scott intercepted a screen thrown by Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and sprinted into the end zone, Miami suddenly led 14-0 and never trailed.
The moment stirred memories of Miami’s storied past. Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin — a key figure on the Hurricanes’ 1987 national championship team — sprinted down the sideline in celebration, while former championship-winning coach Jimmy Johnson stood nearby. During the on-field trophy presentation, Cristobal acknowledged Johnson, bridging generations of Miami greatness.
Beck, a veteran quarterback who previously won national titles at Georgia in 2021 and 2022, delivered a calm, controlled performance. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 138 yards, with his touchdown to Fletcher marking the seventh of a Cotton Bowl–record 13 consecutive completions. Fletcher finished with 90 rushing yards on 19 carries and was named the game’s offensive MVP.
Ohio State (12-2, CFP No. 2 seed), the defending national champion, entered the game as a 9½-point favorite but never found consistent rhythm. The Buckeyes were playing their first game since a 13-10 loss to now-No. 1 Indiana in the Big Ten championship on Dec. 6, and the layoff showed at times.
Sayin, a freshman who backed up Will Howard during last season’s championship run, threw for 287 yards on 22-of-35 passing but was intercepted twice and sacked five times. His lone touchdown came on a fourth-down, 14-yard strike to All-America receiver Jeremiah Smith in the fourth quarter. Smith, a Miami native, was brilliant in defeat, catching seven passes for 157 yards.
Miami’s defense absorbed that late push and responded with composure. Carter Davis drilled a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter, and ChaMar Brown sealed the outcome with a 5-yard touchdown run in the final minute. The 24 points allowed were the most Ohio State surrendered all season.
The loss means the Buckeyes will not become the first program to repeat as national champions under the current CFP format. They also joined a familiar trend — all four teams that received first-round byes in the inaugural 12-team playoff last season were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
For Miami, the victory carried added historical weight. The Hurricanes’ last national championship came in 2001, their fifth overall. Their bid for a repeat ended in heartbreak the following year with a double-overtime loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl — the only other bowl meeting between the programs until Wednesday night.
Now, Cristobal — himself a standout offensive tackle on Miami’s 1989 and 1991 championship teams — has the Hurricanes back among college football’s final four.
Miami will face either No. 3 Georgia or No. 6 Ole Miss in the CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8. Ohio State, meanwhile, turns its attention to the future, opening the 2026 season at home against Ball State on Sept. 5.
On a night filled with echoes of the past and belief in the present, the Hurricanes reminded college football that Miami is once again a force — and one win away from playing for it all.
