- - How Ohio State's slow start spelled doom vs. Miami in repeat CFP title bid

Austin Curtright, USA TODAY NETWORKJanuary 1, 2026 at 2:06 AM

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How Ohio State's slow start spelled doom vs. Miami in repeat CFP title bid

ARLINGTON, TX — Ohio State football found itself in a hole it hadn’t faced in 45 games against Miami in the College Football Playoff.

Against the Hurricanes, Ohio State trailed 14-0 for the first time since their 45-23 loss to Michigan in 2022. They mustered only 9 yards of offense in the first quarter, after having largely dominating their competition in 2025.

And while Ohio State showed signs of life early in the second half, it wasn’t enough to overcome the slow start.

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Ohio State's season ended unceremoniously with a disappointing 24-14 loss against Miami in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal, despite the Buckeyes entering the game as overwhelming favorites. Coach Ryan Day and his squad looked primed for another national championship run in 2025, heading into the Big Ten Conference Championship game with a 12-0 record and No. 1 ranking.

Instead, the Buckeyes lost their final two games against Indiana and Miami to end their season in a rather disappointing — and surprising — fashion.

“It still hasn’t really hit me,” Ohio State senior defensive end Caden Curry told reporters after the game. “I mean, I’m still in my jersey and my pads.”

Ohio State opened the second half with an impressive 11-play, 82-yard scoring drive ending in a 1-yard touchdown run by Bo Jackson to reduce its deficit to 14-7. Miami responded with a field goal before the Buckeyes scored again, this time on a 22-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Jeremiah Smith on fourth-and-2, pulling OSU within three points at 17-14 early in the fourth quarter.

Smith caught the pass from Julian Sayin at the 5-yard line before he was met by three Miami defenders, but was able to fend off the tacklers before getting into the end zone in a huge moment to keep Ohio State in the game.

Fourth and Smith. 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Dg0P37kehr

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 1, 2026

The play encapsulated Ohio State’s plan offensively: The Buckeyes found little success moving the ball in big moments outside of Smith, who finished with seven receptions for 157 yards with a touchdown.

The unanimous All-American selection was Ohio State’s X-factor in its national championship run last season, catching 19 passes for 381 yards with five touchdowns in four CFP games as a true freshman. The formula nearly worked again against the Hurricanes before Miami’s game-sealing touchdown drive took 5:01 of the clock, leaving the Buckeyes with less than a minute to score 10 points and tie the game.

"I felt like it took us a while to get into the rhythm of the game,” Day said after the game. “I thought we did coming out of the second half. And by then, it was going to take a very, very efficient second half to win the game being down 14-0.”

Day felt the Buckeyes held an advantage in the passing game with Smith, one of the best players in the country. It was a double-edge sword, though, as multi-step drops from Sayin allowed for Miami’s edge-rushing duo of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor to wreak havoc on Ohio State’s offensive line.

Ohio State allowed 11 sacks on the season entering the Cotton Bowl. It left the game having allowed 16, three of which came from the All-American duo of Bain Jr. and Mesidor.

“We felt like we could do that and we were going to be aggressive, but we also knew the give-and-take of it,” Day said. “And so that was part of what we were working through. At the end of the day, it didn’t work.”

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Miami’s pressure was also able to speed up Sayin, a Heisman Trophy finalist, in the most important play of the game. Sayin attempted a screen pass early in the second quarter, but the pass was jumped by Miami’s Keionte Scott, who intercepted the pass for a 72-yard touchdown return to go up 14-0.

It was a lapse of judgment by Day and Ohio State’s coaching staff, as Scott noted postgame he knew the play was coming. Day took over play-calling duties for the first time since 2023 against Miami due to offensive coordinator Brian Hartline being hired as head coach at South Florida. Hartline still coached in the game but in a smaller capacity.

“It was on film for sure,” Scott said. “I think in the moment, with all the skill players on one side of the ball, (I) obviously knew the ball was coming in that area.”

Ohio State outgained Miami with 323 yards to the Hurricanes’ 181 yards after the first quarter. The Buckeyes had a chance to take the lead on their second-to-last possession of the game, but was forced to punt after gaining 6 yards in seven plays while burning 4:20 of clock.

It ultimately wasn’t enough, and the Hurricanes came up with big plays in opportune moments to take down an Ohio State team that went from national championship frontrunner to a CFP quarterfinals exit in a matter of weeks.

"When you have a start the way that we did,” Day said, “you put yourself at risk of having to be really darn near perfect in the second half to go win the game.

“So, we put ourselves behind the eight ball.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio State saw CFP repeat title hopes doomed by slow start vs. Miami

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