BREAKING: Miami Hurricanes Advance to College Football Playoff Semifinal, Defeat No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 24-14
By Space Coast Daily // December 31, 2025
Fiesta Bowl semifinal is Jan. 8
ABOVE VIDEO: Keionte Scott PICK-SIX puts Miami up 14-0 in Cotton Bowl vs. Ohio State
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Miami delivered the biggest jolt of the College Football Playoff so far, stunning defending national champion Ohio State 24–14 on Wednesday night in the Cotton Bowl to advance to the semifinals.
Keionte Scott flipped the game early when he jumped a screen pass and raced 72 yards for a touchdown, and quarterback Carson Beck added a scoring strike as the No. 10 Hurricanes continued their improbable postseason surge.
Miami (12-2), which slipped into the new 12-team playoff as an at-large selection despite missing the ACC title game, has now won two straight playoff contests to reach the national semifinals. One more victory would send the Hurricanes back to their home stadium with a shot at their first national championship since 2001.
Next up is a Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Jan. 8, where Miami will face either No. 3 Georgia or No. 6 Ole Miss — the SEC powers meeting in the Sugar Bowl.
Ohio State (12-2), ranked second in the CFP and favored by more than a touchdown, saw its hopes of a repeat disappear. The Buckeyes had been idle since their 13–10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten title game, earning a first-round bye only to fall in their playoff opener.
Scott’s interception return — his second pick-six this season — stretched Miami’s lead to 14–0 midway through the second quarter, coming less than two minutes after Beck found Mark Fletcher Jr. for a 9-yard touchdown. Beck finished 19 of 26 for 138 yards, and his touchdown toss was part of a run of 13 straight completions, a new Cotton Bowl record. Fletcher added 90 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Ohio State freshman quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 287 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice and sacked five times. His scoring pass went to star receiver Jeremiah Smith, who had seven catches for 157 yards in a homecoming performance for the Miami native.
Carter Davis drilled a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter, and ChaMar Brown sealed the victory with a late 5-yard rushing touchdown as Miami posted the most points any team scored against Ohio State this season.
The Hurricanes have now rattled off six straight wins since an overtime loss at SMU on Nov. 1 — just a short drive from AT&T Stadium, where they made their CFP debut by beating Texas A&M 10–3 in the opening round.
