After a rollercoaster season full of promise, heartache, and hope, the Miami Hurricanes are ready to lay it all on the line in their first ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Miami will face SEC foe Texas A&M, a program that thrives off the energy of a packed Kyle Field, widely regarded as one of the most hostile environments in college football.
The two teams have met five times before, including two matchups in the past five years. Most recently, Miami defeated the Aggies 48–33 during an early-season thriller at Hard Rock Stadium in 2023.
The Aggies (11-1, 7-1 SEC) are coming off an 11-1 season, with their lone loss coming against the Texas Longhorns in Week 14. Miami and Texas A&M have one common opponent this year in Notre Dame. The Hurricanes won 27-24 on Aug. 31 and the Aggies won 41-40 on Sept. 13 in a thriller.
Texas A&M is led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed, who has thrown for 2,932 yards and 25 touchdowns as well as using his legs for 466 rushing yards.
Against the Longhorns, Reed threw for 180 yards which was tied for his lowest amount of passing yards of the season in a complete game. The only other time he did that was against Missouri State earlier in this season.
Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) has had to deal with dual-threat quarterbacks all season like USF’s Byrum Brown and FSU’s Tommy Castellanos and have succeeded. UM has held all dual-threat quarterbacks they have faced this season to a combined 74 rushing yards. But, Miami head Mario Cristobal acknowledged that Reed is another type of talent.
“Well, certainly Marcel Reed is the best [quarterback] that we played. I mean, what you learn is that if you’re not disciplined, you’re going to pay the price and chunk plays,” Cristobal said to the media on Monday. “Extended plays, improvisations, guys just breaking free. And you’re looking at a quarterback that keeps his eyes down the field, has a great connection with his wide receivers.”
When the Aggies offense is operating at their best, Reed and junior wideout KC Concepcion is something that will scare any opposing team. The transfer from NC State, who was just named an AP All-American, has 896 yards and nine receiving touchdowns on the season. Concepcion is a fast and twitchy receiver that can bring in any ball Reed throws to him.
Texas A&M also features a top-25 run offense with Reed being second on the team in rushing yards.
However, Miami has a weapon of its own in superstar freshman Malachi Toney. The 18-year old prodigy has been nothing short of sensational, hauling in 970 yards and having some of his best performances of the season in recent matchups against Virginia Tech and Pitt.
Despite sixth-year redshirt senior Carson Beck having experience in SEC atmospheres during his time at Georgia, this will be the first he plays in College Station.
“The atmosphere and the environment is going to be next to none, and for us that means focusing on our preparation,” Beck said.
Coming into the game, the Aggies have the best third down defense in the country. The Hurricanes convert the ball 47% on third down this season while Texas A&M has held teams to roughly 23% conversion rate.
It will be no easy feat, but look for Beck to get the ball out of his hand fast and get early chunk plays.
“A very physical, explosive, extremely highly technical defensive front. Like they win their one on ones,” Cristobal said about Texas A&M’s defense.“Sometimes their best third down stuff is just rushing the four guys because they’re so explosive, they’re so quick, they’re so powerful, they get their hands on people, and they get rid of blockers.”
Redshirt senior defensive end Cashius Howell ranks fifth in the country and second in the SEC with 11.5 sacks on the year.
While Howell does the elusiveness to get to the quarterback, he will face one of the best offensive lines in the country led by junior Francis Mauigoa, who was just named an AP All-American. Miami holds one of the lowest pressure and sack rates in the country.
This is the biggest and most rowdy crowd Miami will face this season meaning that noise can play a factor in pre snap penalties, something that UM has struggled on at times this season. When Miami played SMU in early November, six of its 12 penalties were before the snap.
“You know, we had some issues with pre-snap penalties, but we haven’t had any issues after we’ve addressed a few things, and we feel very confident in our ability to communicate and process without pre-snap penalties,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said.
For every player on both sides of the ball, this game means something. But for Mauigoa and Reuben Bain Jr., it means even more. They endured the tough times early in their careers as Hurricanes, believed in Cristobal, and now have the opportunity to play in the biggest game of their careers.
On the injury front, Mark Fletcher Jr. is healthy and ready to help the run game. Cristobal also felt strongly that defensive back Keionte Scott has a chance to play after suffering a lower body injury against NC State.
Kickoff in College Station is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. local time (noon ET) and the game will air on ESPN/ABC.
