After having sneaked into the College Football Playoffs, the Miami Hurricanes are headed into the second round.
The No. 10 Hurricanes upset the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies 10-3 in their first-round matchup in College Station, Texas, on Saturday.
Miami was on the outside looking in at the playoffs until the final CFP rankings were revealed Dec. 7. Now, the Hurricanes will play No. 2 Ohio State in the quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve.
Freshman cornerback Bryce Fitzgerald sealed the win for Miami, intercepting Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed in the end zone with 24 seconds left to prevent a game-tying touchdown. Hurricanes freshman receiver Malachi Toney scored the game’s lone touchdown on a short pass with under two minutes to go.
Miami joins the Alabama Crimson Tide as the second team to punch its ticket to the second round of the CFP, as the No. 9 Crimson Tide overcame a 17-0 deficit to upset the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners 34-24 on Friday.
Saturday’s game, on the other hand, was an ugly, defensive slugfest.
Texas A&M and the Hurricanes combined to make only two of six field goals and convert only 11 of 31 third- or fourth-down attempts. The teams also combined for four turnovers, including three costly ones by the Aggies.
The first half was the first scoreless opening half in CFP history. Miami missed three field goals, while Texas A&M missed one, fumbled on another possession and turned the ball over on downs on another.
The Hurricanes opened the second half with their first made field goal, only to miss another after Reed’s first interception of the game.
The teams then traded punts before the Aggies finally tied the game in the fourth quarter on a short field goal to cap a 16-play, 67-yard drive.
Toney fumbled after the Texas A&M score, but Miami’s defense forced a punt on the Aggies’ ensuing drive. That set the stage for the Hurricanes’ best possession of the game, a six-play, 86-yard jaunt that ended with a Toney touchdown.
The Hurricanes were able to march down the field largely because of running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who ran five times for 75 yards to set up Toney's touchdown. Fletcher finished with 172 yards on 17 carries.
Texas A&M, however, quickly got in position to tie the game after the Miami score. The Aggies covered 70 yards in only 10 plays to make it all the way to the Hurricanes’ 5-yard line with 33 seconds to go. After Reed threw incomplete on first and second down, Fitzgerald hauled in his second pick of the game on third and goal.
With Miami and Alabama advancing, two quarterfinal matchups are now set.
The Crimson Tide will play the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The Hurricanes will play the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl.
Miami and Ohio State last met in the postseason in 2003, when the Buckeyes upset the Hurricanes 31-24 in the national championship game.
Meanwhile, the Oregon Ducks and the Ole Miss Rebels also made it to the second round Saturday after they easily dispatched their Group of Five opponents.
The No. 5 Ducks dominated No. 12 James Madison, winning 51-34.
The No. 6 Rebels, playing their first game without head coach Lane Kiffin since he departed for LSU, defeated No. 11 Tulane 41-10.
Oregon will play Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day, while Ole Miss will face No. 3 Georgia the same day in the Sugar Bowl.
