The Hurricanes were at their lowest point of the season.
They’d just returned from Dallas where a disheartening overtime loss to SMU had marked their second loss in three games.
Outside their facility, the criticism of coaches and players was growing louder, with college football fans and analysts writing the Hurricanes off, saying Miami had likely played itself out of contention for not only a berth in the ACC Championship Game, but the College Football Playoff, too.
It was a tough moment for a team that had opened the season with five straight wins and had been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation after knocking off three ranked opponents.
So, with four games left on the schedule, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal decided to remind the Hurricanes what kind of team they were.
“We had to change and get better, and it came down to the simplicity of taking all the clips of us in our first five games and putting it on a reel and just letting it play,” Cristobal said. “There was no audio, no one talking, no nothing. Just shut the lights, remind ourselves of who we are.
“And there’s nothing more powerful than the power of choice. We chose to regain our form, actually improve down the stretch and play our best football those last four weeks. That’s where things change. It’s as simple as just choosing to do better.”
Said quarterback Carson Beck, “We watched that, we [saw] that and we met about it and it was like, ‘Guys, this is who we are. We’ve put it on film. We’ve done this. We’ve done it before. We’ve beat very talented teams, and this is what we’re capable of, finishing out this regular season and we were able to do that.”
That unexpected film session changed the trajectory of Miami’s season and helped bring the Hurricanes to where they are now – a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against defending national champion Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
After that meeting, the Hurricanes went out and won their last four regular season games, outscoring their opponents 151-41 in the process. They rose in the playoff rankings and after weeks of intense debate about who should be in the 12-team field, they earned an at-large berth in the College Football Playoff.
And on Dec. 20, the Hurricanes traveled to Texas A&M where, in front of more than 100,000 fans, they notched a 10-3 win over the Aggies that kept their season – and championship hopes – alive.
Now, Miami finds itself facing another significant challenge as it prepares to take the field at AT&T Stadium against the second-seeded Buckeyes.
But it’s a challenge – and opportunity – the Hurricanes are embracing, much the same way they embraced doing the work to turn their season around earlier in the year.
“They’re arguably the most talented team we’ve played all year,” Miami center James Brockermeyer said. “Studs all over the field and at the same time, they’re coached really well. [Their] coaches do a great job of putting them in spots and taking advantage of their strengths. It’s going to be a huge challenge for us, and we’re excited to face that challenge.”
Said defensive end Akheem Mesidor, “As the whole country knows, Ohio State is a great team. They have a really good offensive line, good running backs, quarterbacks. The receivers speak for themselves. They’re a good team and I’m ready to get after it.”
The Buckeyes (12-1) enter Wednesday’s game as the favorite, thanks in large part to a high-powered offense and a stingy defense that features three first-team AP All-Americans.
On Tuesday, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was named the winner of the 2025 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award after throwing for 3,323 yards and 31 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
His 78.4 percent completion percentage leads the nation, and he’s gotten plenty of help from a talented receivers corps led by consensus All-American Jeremiah Smith, a Miami Gardens native who has totaled 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Fellow receiver Tate Carnell, meanwhile, has 838 yards and nine touchdowns on the season despite missing time late in the year with an undisclosed injury. And running back Bo Jackson has added 1,035 yards and five touchdowns.
As a whole, the Buckeyes are averaging 429.5 yards per game, a number that ranks 24th nationally.
Containing that unit will be crucial if Miami (11-2) wants to continue advancing.
“Number one is, I think, they do a very good job of staying on track. They run the ball very well. The quarterback is very efficient. They’re not behind the sticks a lot,” said Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. “So, we have to make sure we get them off track. You’ve got to stop the run, affect the quarterback, do different things to win at the line of scrimmage and we have to win up front in the front seven.”
The Hurricanes offense, meanwhile, will have to contend with an Ohio State defense that has held opponents to an average of 213.5 yards per game – that’s tops in the nation.
But Miami feels tested and ready for the challenge.
Beck, a transfer from Georgia, has played on this stage and has College Football Playoff experience. He enters Wednesday’s game having completed 74.5 percent of his passes, which ranks second in the nation behind only Sayin.
Running back Mark Fletcher Jr., meanwhile, is coming off a career performance, rushing for 172 yards against the Aggies. Freshman receiver Malachi Toney earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors after a record-breaking season that saw him not only catch touchdowns but throw for them as well. He comes into the game needing just eight yards to cross the 1,000-yard mark on the season.
And the Hurricanes have a top-10 defense of their own, holding opponents to an average of 281.5 yards and 13.0 points per game.
Ahead of the Cotton Bowl, Miami’s coaches and players have faced countless questions about Ohio State’s status as the defending national champion, and the fact the Buckeyes are heavy favorites.
They’ve also been asked about the last postseason meeting between the two programs more than two decades ago in the Fiesta Bowl.
But they’ve done their best to drown out the noise and focus on the present and their preparation for the game – much the same way they tuned out the negativity that surrounded them after that tough stretch in late October and early November.
“We really don’t look too much into that. We just [know], at the end of the day, everyone’s still got to play football,” Toney said. “We just want to stay focused, make sure everybody does their 1 through 11.”
Said Beck, “They’re very well coached and disciplined in the structure in what they do. I’m sure they’ll have a few wrinkles for us, but it gives us a challenge and with challenge comes opportunity and we’re excited for that opportunity.”
They’d just returned from Dallas where a disheartening overtime loss to SMU had marked their second loss in three games.
Outside their facility, the criticism of coaches and players was growing louder, with college football fans and analysts writing the Hurricanes off, saying Miami had likely played itself out of contention for not only a berth in the ACC Championship Game, but the College Football Playoff, too.
It was a tough moment for a team that had opened the season with five straight wins and had been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation after knocking off three ranked opponents.
So, with four games left on the schedule, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal decided to remind the Hurricanes what kind of team they were.
“We had to change and get better, and it came down to the simplicity of taking all the clips of us in our first five games and putting it on a reel and just letting it play,” Cristobal said. “There was no audio, no one talking, no nothing. Just shut the lights, remind ourselves of who we are.
“And there’s nothing more powerful than the power of choice. We chose to regain our form, actually improve down the stretch and play our best football those last four weeks. That’s where things change. It’s as simple as just choosing to do better.”
Said quarterback Carson Beck, “We watched that, we [saw] that and we met about it and it was like, ‘Guys, this is who we are. We’ve put it on film. We’ve done this. We’ve done it before. We’ve beat very talented teams, and this is what we’re capable of, finishing out this regular season and we were able to do that.”
That unexpected film session changed the trajectory of Miami’s season and helped bring the Hurricanes to where they are now – a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against defending national champion Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
After that meeting, the Hurricanes went out and won their last four regular season games, outscoring their opponents 151-41 in the process. They rose in the playoff rankings and after weeks of intense debate about who should be in the 12-team field, they earned an at-large berth in the College Football Playoff.
And on Dec. 20, the Hurricanes traveled to Texas A&M where, in front of more than 100,000 fans, they notched a 10-3 win over the Aggies that kept their season – and championship hopes – alive.
Now, Miami finds itself facing another significant challenge as it prepares to take the field at AT&T Stadium against the second-seeded Buckeyes.
But it’s a challenge – and opportunity – the Hurricanes are embracing, much the same way they embraced doing the work to turn their season around earlier in the year.
“They’re arguably the most talented team we’ve played all year,” Miami center James Brockermeyer said. “Studs all over the field and at the same time, they’re coached really well. [Their] coaches do a great job of putting them in spots and taking advantage of their strengths. It’s going to be a huge challenge for us, and we’re excited to face that challenge.”
Said defensive end Akheem Mesidor, “As the whole country knows, Ohio State is a great team. They have a really good offensive line, good running backs, quarterbacks. The receivers speak for themselves. They’re a good team and I’m ready to get after it.”
The Buckeyes (12-1) enter Wednesday’s game as the favorite, thanks in large part to a high-powered offense and a stingy defense that features three first-team AP All-Americans.
On Tuesday, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was named the winner of the 2025 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award after throwing for 3,323 yards and 31 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
His 78.4 percent completion percentage leads the nation, and he’s gotten plenty of help from a talented receivers corps led by consensus All-American Jeremiah Smith, a Miami Gardens native who has totaled 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Fellow receiver Tate Carnell, meanwhile, has 838 yards and nine touchdowns on the season despite missing time late in the year with an undisclosed injury. And running back Bo Jackson has added 1,035 yards and five touchdowns.
As a whole, the Buckeyes are averaging 429.5 yards per game, a number that ranks 24th nationally.
Containing that unit will be crucial if Miami (11-2) wants to continue advancing.
“Number one is, I think, they do a very good job of staying on track. They run the ball very well. The quarterback is very efficient. They’re not behind the sticks a lot,” said Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. “So, we have to make sure we get them off track. You’ve got to stop the run, affect the quarterback, do different things to win at the line of scrimmage and we have to win up front in the front seven.”
The Hurricanes offense, meanwhile, will have to contend with an Ohio State defense that has held opponents to an average of 213.5 yards per game – that’s tops in the nation.
But Miami feels tested and ready for the challenge.
Beck, a transfer from Georgia, has played on this stage and has College Football Playoff experience. He enters Wednesday’s game having completed 74.5 percent of his passes, which ranks second in the nation behind only Sayin.
Running back Mark Fletcher Jr., meanwhile, is coming off a career performance, rushing for 172 yards against the Aggies. Freshman receiver Malachi Toney earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors after a record-breaking season that saw him not only catch touchdowns but throw for them as well. He comes into the game needing just eight yards to cross the 1,000-yard mark on the season.
And the Hurricanes have a top-10 defense of their own, holding opponents to an average of 281.5 yards and 13.0 points per game.
Ahead of the Cotton Bowl, Miami’s coaches and players have faced countless questions about Ohio State’s status as the defending national champion, and the fact the Buckeyes are heavy favorites.
They’ve also been asked about the last postseason meeting between the two programs more than two decades ago in the Fiesta Bowl.
But they’ve done their best to drown out the noise and focus on the present and their preparation for the game – much the same way they tuned out the negativity that surrounded them after that tough stretch in late October and early November.
“We really don’t look too much into that. We just [know], at the end of the day, everyone’s still got to play football,” Toney said. “We just want to stay focused, make sure everybody does their 1 through 11.”
Said Beck, “They’re very well coached and disciplined in the structure in what they do. I’m sure they’ll have a few wrinkles for us, but it gives us a challenge and with challenge comes opportunity and we’re excited for that opportunity.”
