Keyontae Scott looked down the Miami sideline to see his teammates' reaction as he ran 72 yards untouched for a touchdown on an interception return against defending national champion Ohio State.
They were certainly excited, as was the Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver and former coach who won national championships with the Hurricanes.
Scott picked off a pass from Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin, Carson Beck threw for a touchdown and 10th-ranked Miami shocked the Buckeyes 24-14 Wednesday night at the Cotton Bowl in the first quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff.
“I was full of emotion… It was a pretty cool moment,” said Scott, who has TDs on both of his interceptions this season. “Just having fun… That’s what this team relies on, man, just going out there and playing freely and just having fun.”
The Hurricanes (12-2, No. 10 CFP seed) won two playoff games to reach the final four in football after needing an open spot to make the 12-team field after not even playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. One more win and they could play for the national championship in their home stadium.
Next up for Miami in coach Mario Cristobal's fourth season is a CFP semifinal in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 against No. 3 seed Georgia or Ole Miss, the SEC's No. 6 seed, in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night.
The U hasn't had a national title since 2001, which was their fifth; Cristobal was the Hurricanes' standout offensive player in the 1989 and 1991 championship seasons. The Hurricanes were denied a repeat championship in 2002 by a double-overtime Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State, the only other time the teams had met in a bowl—and the last game Miami played in that game.
“This is 100% not about me. I'm part of their team, I'm part of this family,” Cristobal said. “My responsibility as a former Miami Hurricane player and all the things that Miami did for me and my brother is to do whatever I can to try to give these guys even better opportunities so they can accomplish all the great things they are meant to do.”
Before wide receiver Michael Irvin and coach Jimmy Johnson became Super Bowl champions with the Dallas Cowboys, they were part of the Hurricanes' 1987 national championship. Irvin ran excitedly down the sideline as Scott led 14-0 and Johnson was nearby as Cristobal greeted him during the trophy presentation on the field.
Now it's third-ranked Ohio State (12-2, CFP No. 2 seed), which entered the game as a nine-and-a-half-point favorite and fails to win back-to-back national titles for the first time in program history.
The Buckeyes haven't played since their 13-10 loss on Dec. 6 to Indiana, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten Championship Game of undefeated teams. They still received a first-round bye and then lost, as did all four teams that advanced directly to the quarterfinal round in the first 12-team playoffs last season.
“We worked really hard the last three weeks leading up to this game to come out of the gate and win the first quarter, win the first half and be ready to go,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “I think the guys believed it. But in the end, we didn't.”
Scott's interception return came just 1:42 after Beck's quick pass to Mark Fletcher Jr. in the backfield for a nine-yard score.
Beck, who helped Georgia win national titles in 2021 and 2022 when Stetson Bennett was the starter, completed 19 of 26 passes for 138 yards.
When asked what stood out to him about these Hurricanes, Beck said, “It's the way this team responded to adversity. We knew coming in today that it wasn't going to be easy.”
The touchdown throw to Fletcher, who also rushed 19 times for 90 yards and was named offensive MVP, was the seventh of 13 consecutive completions for Beck. This set a record for the Cotton Bowl, which was playing for the 90th time.
Sain, a freshman backup to Will Howard in Ohio State's championship game last season, was 22 of 35 for 287 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown against Jeremy Smith. Sain was fired five times.
AP All-America wide receiver Smith, a Miami native, caught seven such passes for 157 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
Carter Davis added a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter and ChaMar Brown ran for a five-yard touchdown in the final minute of the game for the Hurricanes, whose 24 points were the most Ohio State has given up this season.
