The Miami Hurricanes entrance to this year’s College Football Playoff caused a significant amount of controversy. Questions lingered over whether Miami deserved a spot after two losses to unranked opponents, or if Notre Dame had a stronger case and more deserving of a spot.
Ultimately, the College Football Playoff Committee honored the ’Canes 24-21 win over the Irish in Week 1 as the ultimate tiebreaker, launching UM into the final at-large bid.
On Saturday, Dec. 20, Miami was tasked with playing in one of the toughest environments in all of sports, Kyle Field, which has a capacity of more than 100,000 fans — UM was pitted against No. 7 Texas A&M, who came into the game with an 11-1 record.
In a defensive slugfest which featured swirling 30 mph winds and a crowd mostly donning maroon and white, the Hurricanes silenced all the doubters, upsetting the Aggies in a 10-7 thriller, sending The U to the quarterfinals.
For the ’Canes to get their first ever CFP win in a hostile environment over a strong SEC opponent, it shows the committee certainly made the right decision, but Miami shouldn’t be celebrating just yet. UM has an even tougher task awaiting them in the Cotton Bowl — No. 2 Ohio State.
Here’s what the Hurricanes will need to improve on from the first CFP game if they want to notch an even bigger upset.
Kicking concerns
This one goes without saying. Kicker Carter Davis missed three field goals last week from 47, 40, and 35 yards out. Had he made all his kicks, the ’Canes wouldn’t have needed any late-game heroics. Instead, he went 1-for-4 and forced the Miami offense to score a late fourth quarter touchdown to take the lead.
Prior to his game against the Aggies, Davis had been very reliable, going 14-of-16 for field goals on the year.
His sudden drop in reliability can be attributed to one main factor — the wind. Gusts reached up to 30 mph, and down at the bottom of the massive Kyle Field the swirling winds created unpredictability, which was evident on his first attempt.
At first, Davis’s first kick looked dead on, but then the wind got a hold of it, sending it wide right. His second attempt went wide right again, but it was nowhere close. Even with no wind, it would not have landed.
His last miss occurred in the second half. After pushing his first two kicks to the right, Davis tried to correct his form but overdid it, pulling his kick to the left just a tad too much, bouncing it off the left upright.
Luckily for Davis, the Cotton Bowl will be played in a dome at AT&T Stadium, where wind is a non-factor. But in a position where the mental game is so important, the Hurricanes will have to hope that Davis isn’t in his own head following a rough outing.
Red Zone offense
Miami is lucky its defense played as strong as it did last week, because the offense was not doing the team any favors. The offense was gifted strong starting field position multiple times thanks to a big punt return from Malachi Toney, fumble by TAMU quarterback Marcel Reed, and a big interception return by Bryce Fitzgerald.
However, the Hurricanes scored on none of these possessions.
Miami reached the red zone five times, and only managed 10 points. Against the Buckeyes, this won’t hold up. While the Hurricane defense looks like they can stop just about anyone in the country right now, Ohio State has arguably the best offense of all.
Granted, Indiana proved one can beat the Buckeyes in a low-scoring game, but IU is the No.1 team in the country with the Heisman winner in Fernando Mendoza under center.
While the blueprint is technically there to win a low-scoring affair, the Buckeyes will likely come out all guns blazing, meaning Heisman finalist quarterback Julian Sayin and star wideout Jeramiah Smith will be a headache to stop.
The ’Canes can’t afford to leave points on the table next week if they want another upset.
Carson Beck has to step up
Carson Beck started the season off hot — he was a Heisman finalist and looked like the star he was back in 2023 when he won Georgia an SEC championship.
He didn’t look like that last week.
In Miami’s two losses this year, the blame has been mainly pinned on Beck. In those two games, he posted a combined two touchdowns to six interceptions, including picks on both potential game-winning drives. Since then he’s been better, but mostly just beating up on weaker competition.
Against Texas A&M, the game plan was evident: Take care of the football, don’t make any dumb turnovers, and let Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. carry the load.
Beck did what was asked of him. He had no turnovers, made a few third-down conversions, and Fletcher and Toney ended up lifting the Hurricanes to a win. Fletcher ran for 172 yards on a ridiculous 10.1 yards per carry, while Toney was placed at WR, RB, and even QB, ultimately scoring the game winning touchdown on a tricky jet sweep.
Ohio State won’t let Fletcher get 10 yards per carry, with the Buckeyes gameplan is likely to be making Beck beat them with his arm. Beck has shown at times in his career he is capable of playing like a star, and he’s going to have to do it on the biggest stage against the Buckeyes.
If the defense keeps up its amazing play, and Beck is able to step up, don’t be surprised if the ’Canes surprise the nation again.
The 90th Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas will be played on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET, and will air on ESPN.
