Miami pulled off a major upset with its 24-14 victory over Ohio State on New Year’s Eve. For the Buckeyes, the loss was a combination of Julian Sayin having a bad day at the office and Ryan Day’s poor play-calling. As if that wasn’t enough, an extra layer of motivation was given to the Hurricanes after a careless statement from wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, according to a former Miami defensive back.

“Texas A&M were doing the same thing, talking on the net,” former Miami and current Tampa Bay DB Keionte Scott said on the July 12 episode of the Caps Off Podcast. “That’s when all these happened. This is where all this started. Every week, we come in, bro. We come in, the first thing Cristobal does. It’s someone in the interview.”

“Mind you, everybody knows. Everybody has that person on their team. When you go to interview, they tell you, ‘Hey, you know, be calm, don’t give them any fire.’ So, we know the teams, you have those. Why do we keep talking on the net? JJ’s [Jeremiah Smith] wasn’t too bad. But it’s just other teams, like that was crazy.”

Miami’s run to the national championship game began with a game against Texas A&M in College Station. Texas A&M’s high-octane offense was expected to test Miami’s defense. Before the matchup, OL Trey Zuhn III said that he wasn’t too concerned about stopping Miami’s edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. Aggies RB Rueben Owens also dismissed the challenge Miami’s run defense may pose.

Bain finished the A&M game with four tackles and three sacks. Mike Elko’s offense could only score three points in a 3-10 loss. Owens had just 21 rushing yards on seven carries. Ohio State seemed unlikely to hand Miami the same bulletin-board material.

However, several Buckeyes made controversial statements that did not sit well with Miami. The most prominent was Jeremiah Smith, who grew up about five miles from Hard Rock Stadium and was close to committing to the Hurricanes.

“Most likely, yeah, I’d have probably ended up going to Miami if things was on the right track then and there,” Smith said. “But I chose to stick with Ohio State.”

The Hurricanes seized on Smith’s statement as fuel for revenge. They needed to prove to Smith that his choice of Ohio State was wrong. Mario Cristobal made sure that his roster knew what the opponent was saying in the media.

The Cotton Bowl panned out exactly like the Texas A&M game did for Miami. The Canes didn’t let another elite offense breathe. Interestingly, it was Keionte Scott who gave Ohio State an early blow, intercepting Julian Sayin in the second quarter and returning it for a touchdown. Ryan Day’s team tried to mount a comeback in the second half, but it was too little too late.

On his part, Jeremiah Smith didn’t disappoint. He registered seven receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn’t enough to get a win for the defending champions.

Scott and eight of his other teammates were rewarded with draft selections after their campaign. He was selected with the 116th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.