Miami-Texas A&M produces College Football Playoff first nobody wanted

It's no surprise that No. 7-seeded Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami went into halftime Saturday locked in a tight duel in their College Football Playoff first-round game.

It was, however, surprising that neither team managed a single point through the first two quarters, marking the first scoreless first half in the now 12-year history of the CFP.

The Aggies entered the day ranked 14th nationally in scoring at 36.3 points per game, while the Hurricanes ranked tied for 19th at 34.1 PPG.

Oddsmakers were certainly expecting a lot more offense from both teams as the over/under for the game was set at 48.5 points.

Instead, the teams combined for seven punts, three missed field goals, a fumble and a turnover on downs in the first half.

Texas A&M got to the Miami 29 in the first quarter before quarterback Marcel Reed fumbled on a sack, with the Hurricanes recovering. The Aggies then drove 65 yards in the second quarter, all the way to the Miami 5, before settling for a 22-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by the Hurricanes' Rueben Bain Jr.

Meanwhile, Miami missed field goal attempts of 47 yards and 40 yards in the second quarter.

How rare is a scoreless first half in college football? The Athletic's national college football reporter David Ubben tweeted that only one other FBS game all season went into halftime 0-0 -- UCF vs. Jacksonville State in Week 1.

Exactly one other FBS game this year had a scoreless first half.

UCF-Jax State way back in Week 1. UCF won, 17-10.

I made @MattBrownCFB look it up on @TruMediaSports.
— David Ubben (@davidubben) December 20, 2025

The scoring drought finally ended early in the third quarter when Miami's Carter Davis made a 21-yard field goal after the Hurricanes drove 72 yards all the way to the Texas A&M 3 before the drive stalled.

In the history of the College Football Playoff, the lowest-scoring game was Alabama vs. Clemson in the 2018 Sugar Bowl, when Alabama won 24-6.

Texas A&M was only held under 30 points twice this season -- in a 16-10 win over Auburn and a 27-17 loss to Texas in the regular-season finale.

The lowest scoring game in CFP history was 30 points between Alabama & Clemson in the 2018 Sugar Bowl...

Total at halftime sits at 21.5 for Miami-Texas A&M 😅 pic.twitter.com/icBVyyVlIs
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) December 20, 2025

Miami's season-low came in a 26-20 loss to SMU.

The Hurricanes, of course, have been scrutinized since the CFP bracket was unveiled, as they received the final at-large berth over Notre Dame, which got snubbed despite being slotted ahead of Miami in every CFP committee ranking released before the final one.

Ultimately, Miami's Week 1 head-to-head win over the Fighting Irish was the difference-maker, but it was a divisive decision nonetheless.

Notre Dame fans will surely have something to say about the way this first half went Saturday.