Three reasons Ohio State lost the Cotton Bowl vs. Miami

The season is officially over for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they fail to repeat as National Champions following an upset 24-14 loss to the Miami Hurricanes.

Even if Ohio State fans didn’t want to see it, the threat of an upset was always there. The Hurricanes took advantage of the Buckeyes weaknesses, and executed perfectly.

Here are three reasons why the Hurricanes pulled off the upset over Ohio State.

1. Miami controlled the trenches

The three best players on the field for Miami were defensive ends Akheem Mesidor, Reuben Bain Jr. and offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. Those three showed why, dominating the game all day long.

Bain and Mesidor wrecked havoc on Ohio State all game long. They combined for three sacks, especially making Austin Sierveld struggle. Quarterback Julian Sayin faced pressure on nearly every dropback, and run blocking couldn’t hold up.

Ohio State averaged 1.9 yards per carry, something that will never find success in college football.

On the other side, Mauigoa was the lead blocker for a run scheme that quickly dismantled Ohio State’s elite front seven. The Hurricanes averaged over four yards per carry, with Mark Fletcher Jr. leading the way with 19 carries for 90 yards.

Ohio State struggled to put pressure on Carson Beck for the majority of the game, often allowing him to escape the pocket and run.

It’s a basic football concept, but if you can’t control the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball, you are going to lose the football game.

2. Playcalling in the first quarter was predictable

With Brian Hartline accepting a new head coaching job, Ryan Day took over as the play caller for the Cotton Bowl. It wasn’t pretty, especially in the first half.

The offense got off to a horribly slow start, having just nine total yards and one first down in the first quarter. The Hurricanes read Ohio State’s plays fast, constantly getting in the backfield for a quick run, or a perfect coverage against Carnell Tate.

It wasn’t until the second where Sayin finally got something going, hitting Jeremiah Smith for a 59-yard gain. The positive momentum wouldn’t last long, as a horrible play call seriously damaged the Buckeyes chances.

Day called for a screen pass to Brandon Inniss, which was easily read by the Hurricanes. Keionte Scott reacted better than anyone on the offense, being the first guy to the ball for a pick. From there, no one was even close to bringing him down as he ran 72-yard for the touchdown, putting Ohio State down 14-0 in the second quarter.

Play calling started to get better after that, but being down two scores by halftime, something Ohio State hadn’t faced all season, was always going to kill them. They needed to get off to a quick start, but were too predictable to ever get the chance.

3. Miami won on special teams

There are three phases of the game, and the Miami Hurricanes simply played better in the third.

For starters, punter Dylan Joyce was outstanding, pinning the Buckeyes inside the five-yard line on several occasions. Ohio State’s longest punt return of the day was just three yards, showing how good the Hurricanes’ coverage was too.

Ohio State’s punter Joe McGuire had a nice game too, averaging 44.2 yards per punt. However, too many of his punts came on their own side of the field, still allowing Miami to be in great field position.

Even little things hurt such as a McGuire punt that was wiped out by an illegal formation penalty, forcing a re-punt that was 20 yards shorter.

Then there is the missed kick. For the second game in a row, Ohio State’s kicker Jayden Fielding missed a field goal in a crucial game. Now, one field goal wasn’t going to win Ohio State the game. However, it likely would have allowed Ohio State to enter the second half with positive momentum, and tie the game up early in the fourth quarter.

Instead, the Buckeyes never got over the hump as they couldn’t quite come back. Miami’s kicker Carter Davis added insult to injury, hitting a 49-yard field goal.

Miami was just better, and in a tight game, special teams impact shows more than ever.