In nearly 24 hours, the Miami Hurricanes will play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Miami’s success, once again, largely depends on quarterback Carson Beck and what he manages to do on the field tomorrow.
Several notable people have chimed in on the matchup, highlighting the importance of Beck for Miami and discussing what he can do against the Buckeyes. Nick Saban recently joined the discussion and offered some advice.
During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Saban talked about the big gap between games and how it can have an impact on the outcome. Since the game against Pittsburgh in late November, the Hurricanes have played just once.
Other than the long gap, Saban spoke on what Miami can do to beat Ohio State. His major concern for the game is Miami’s offense, and the legendary former head coach believes that their offense needs to be sharp and effective. Needless to say, it’ll flow through Beck.
“I think they’re gonna have to score more points to be able to beat Ohio State because it’s a tough matchup against the Buckeyes now with the receivers they’ve got, Julian Sayin. They’ve struggled to run the ball a little bit against Indiana, but they still can make a lot of explosive plays,” Saban said.
“Miami’s going to have to do more on offense to beat Ohio State.” 👀
Nick Saban on Miami as they prepare for their CFP Quarterfinal matchup against Ohio State 🏆
(via @patmcafeeshow) pic.twitter.com/D6XzqnTVDe
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 30, 2025
So, the message is clear from Saban. Get your offense in order, and Miami stands a strong chance of defeating Ohio State. In addition to the Hurricanes’ offense putting up a strong performance, Beck also needs to be cautious of a few things.
The quarterback must limit his mistakes and be a lot more composed during the game. The Buckeyes have the potential to capitalize on his every mistake.
Shannon Dawson Will Rely on Carson Beck Again
The team’s offensive coordinator, Shannon Dawson, has relied on Beck’s instincts in the past, and it has provided them with the desired results. Once again, Dawson would be working closely with the quarterback to defeat the Buckeyes.
Dawson stated that the key is patience in high-pressure games. Staying calm and creating the right opportunities has been the difference maker for the Hurricanes, and they will look to do something similar against Ohio State.
“You know, it’s easy to get impatient and start trying to throw the ball around the yard in a day where it wasn’t working that way. So ultimately, what we had going for us that really they didn’t is we could run the football. They couldn’t. So they had to try to throw it, which turned into a couple of interceptions and some erratic passes,” Dawson said.
There’ll be a lot of pressure on the Hurricanes going into the game. With valuable advice coming from people like Saban, they need to put on a clinical offensive performance against the Buckeyes.
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