Carson Beck’s game-sealing interception in Monday night’s national championship has become the most dissected play of the college football season. Everyone, from coaches to fans are pointing fingers in different directions. But a five-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champion has cut through all the noise and pointed his criticism directly at offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s play design. Sherman saw a fundamental flaw in how Miami attacked Indiana’s Cover-2 defense with everything on the line.​

Sherman’s initial tweet was a coaching lesson disguised as validation for Indiana cornerback Jamari Sharpe, who made the game-clinching interception. “To all young CBs if you are playing COVER 2 and you have no FLAT threat, continue to sink with your vertical!!! This is text book! Love to see great fundamentals rewarded,” Sherman wrote. 

When a fan replied suggesting Carson Beck should have moved to his next read once he saw the safety coming over the top, Sherman didn’t disagree. He went one step further. “That part too,” Sherman responded. “The play design was poor. How can you attack Cov. 2 side with only one route?!” That one question essentially threw Shannon Dawson under the bus, suggesting the play never had a real chance regardless of Beck’s execution.​

Dawson, to his credit, stood by the call even as the criticism mounted. “I really don’t mind where the ball went, really,” the offensive coordinator said after the game. “I mean, probably needs to be out there a little more. Keelan needs to look for the ball, and it was a little bit underthrown. It was just one of those deals.”

Dawson explained that Miami had wanted to take shots against this exact Cover-2 look several times earlier in the game. And when Indiana showed it again with under a minute left, he felt it was the right time to attack. Head coach Mario Cristobal also supported Dawson. He said, “It’s the right place to go with the ball. Just got to be a little bit further and a little bit farther outside. We didn’t connect on it, and turnover.” Both coaches insisted the concept was sound and that only the execution failed.​

Beck’s explanation aligned with his coaches’ assessment, though he seemed more willing to give Indiana credit. “The guy made a really good play,” Beck said. “They were in Cover 2, and he sunk with no flat threat and made a really good play on the ball.” Beck’s description actually confirmed exactly what Sherman was teaching in his tweet. Sharpe played textbook Cover-2 defense because Miami gave him no reason to do anything else.  Sherman’s post suggested the issue wasn’t Carson Beck coming up short. It was the play design putting him in an impossible situation to begin with.​

The NFL legends weigh in

The debate over who’s really to blame has dominated sports talk shows since Monday night. Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson dissected every frame of the fatal throw on their Nightcap podcast. Ocho’s frustration with Beck wasn’t just about the interception itself. It was about the decision-making that led to it. “I wish he would have let it out. Let it go. Let it out there,” Ocho said, gesturing as if throwing the ball himself. His point was that Carson Beck held the ball too long, allowing the defense to converge on Marion and eliminate any window that might have existed. 

“The corner stayed outside, knowing he had help on the inside. So that the receiver was kind of sandwiched,” Ocho explained, describing exactly how Indiana’s Cover-2 defense swallowed up the route. The former NFL receiver’s confusion was palpable when he added, “I’m not sure why Beck chose to go that way.”

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After Beck threw four interceptions in a loss to Louisville and two more in the defeat to SMU, Ocho had warned that Beck needed to “be the reason we win, not the reason for us losing.” Those earlier meltdowns had Miami fans nervous heading into the playoff, even as Beck improved down the stretch with big wins over Ohio State and Ole Miss. But on the biggest stage, facing the biggest moment of his career, Beck reverted to the turnover-prone quarterback who’d haunted Miami during the regular season.