The Hurricanes are led by their defense and running back Mark Fletcher Jr., a former Ohio State commit
As the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) prepare for the 2026 College Football Playoff and to defend their national championship, they will head to Dallas, Texas, and the Cotton Bowl to take on the 11-2 Miami Hurricanes.
Here are five things to know about the Miami Hurricanes.
They have one of the best defenses in the country
This will be a battle of two of the best defenses in the country, with Ohio State as the top scoring defense and Miami as the fourth best scoring defense in football. The Hurricanes only allow 13.0 points per game this season and held Texas A&M to only three points, and picked off Marcel Reed twice.
The pass rush won the game against Texas A&M
Even though Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed is mobile and highly effective with his legs, the Hurricanes recorded seven sacks against him in the first round win. Rueben Bain Jr. had three sacks, Keionte Scott had two sacks, and Akheem Mesidor had 1.5 sacks. For the season, Mesidor has 8.5 sacks, Bain has 7.5 sacks, and Scott has five sacks, while the team has 41 on the season.
Julian Sayin has only been sacked 11 times this season, but five came against Indiana. The pass protection will have to be better against Miami on New Year’s Eve.
Mark Fletcher Jr. is a former Ohio State commit
On April 12, 2022, Fletcher committed to Ohio State as a member of the 2023 class. However, on Nov. 16 of that year, he decommitted from Ohio State before pledging to play for Miami on Dec. 18. Fletcher was the No. 100 recruit in the 2023 class and a four-star recruit.
This season, he has run for 857 yards on 158 carries and ten touchdowns. Against Texas A&M, Fletcher was unstoppable, running for 174 yards on 17 carries.
Six of Carson Beck’s ten interceptions have come in losses
On the season, Miami quarterback Carson Beck has done a pretty good job limiting turnovers, throwing for 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. However, in the Hurricanes’ loss to SMU, Beck threw two interceptions, and in the loss to Louisville, he threw four interceptions. He only threw for 100 yards in the first round win over Texas A&M, but he did not throw an interception. The Buckeyes will need to force one or two turnovers to gain the edge in this contest.
They involve Malachi Toney in every way possible
True freshman Malachi Toney has been a three-way threat for the Hurricanes. The 18-year-old has caught 89 passes for 992 yards and eight touchdowns, run for 98 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown, and thrown two touchdown passes on the season. He scored the only touchdown in the win over Texas A&M.
The Hurricanes will get him involved in every way possible, and it will be up to the Buckeyes’ defense to know where he is at all times.
Category: General Sports
