We have officially made it to another game week, as the Miami Hurricanes are in the Cotton Bowl Classic, taking on the defending national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The hype is real surrounding this CFP Quarterfinal game. The defenses on both teams are some of the best in the country, and the stars will be out in full effect, including stud wide receivers Malachi Toney and Jeremiah Smith.
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These two institutions have a lot of history with each other. Between monumental pentalities that have changed the course of college football history and famous recruiting battles between the two schools, this matchup has everything a college football superfan wants.
The rosters of both teams are littered with talent. So many fun matchups to watch on Wednesday night, but one in particular will determine the outcome of the game.
Miami’s Secondary vs. Ohio State’s Wide Receivers
This positional matchup between the secondary of the Canes and the receivers of the Buckeyes will be huge in how things play out in this CFP Quarterfinal game.
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Diving into the matchup, it starts and ends with Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith.
The South Florida native is the best wide receiver in the country and arguably the best player (regardless of position) in the country, too. Everyone remembers the famous recruiting battle on National Signing Day between Ohio State and Miami (not too late to right your wrongs) for Smith. Still, he has been nothing short of incredible in his collegiate career.
He has recorded in 12 games this season:
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98 targets (40 more targets than the next closest receiver)
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80 receptions (leads team)
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1,086 receiving yards (leads team)
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11 touchdowns (leads team)
The Ohio State offense is predicated on Smith and his unique ability as a playmaker. Miami needs to contain him on Wednesday, but understand that he will still get his usual numbers. The Canes have to limit him on the explosive plays and not let him take over the game.
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With that being said, there is still another receiver that Miami needs to key in on, and that is Carnell Tate. He may be the most underrated pass catcher in the country due to having a stud ahead of him in the receiving room. Tate will be a high draft pick this upcoming draft and has recorded 48 receptions for 838 yards, averaging a little over 17 yards per catch. He has nine touchdowns and leads the team with a 151.1 NFL Passer Rating when targeted.
The ones tasked with having the best games of their collegiate careers are Ethan O’Connor, Xavier Lucas, and OJ Frederique Jr. Damarri Brown has been ruled out for the Cotton Bowl, which is a significant loss for the secondary. He would’ve been the primary guy on Smith, but Miami will be missing Brown for another game.
Keionte Scott is the nickel corner, so he won’t be matched up on Tate or Smith on Wednesday, unless they play them in slot for a few plays. For the most part, it’ll be Lucas and Frederique getting most of the duty on the two stars for the Buckeyes. O’Connor will be tasked to contain them as well, as he has the most snaps played on the outside from all the corners for the Canes.
Lucas would be my best guess on who will be the primary guy on Smith. He has a 64.9 NFL Passer Rating Against this season (per PFF) and has been great for Corey Hetherman and this Miami defense. Lucas leads the team in PBU’s with four.
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Frederique has three pass breakups, but is allowing a 104.4 NFL Passer Rating Against when targeted. He has struggled a bit this year compared to last year. O’Connor has a 91.4 NFL Passer Rating Against when targeted, and PFF has him graded as the second-best coverage corner out of the three mentioned.
O’Connor and Lucas only allowed 20 yards each in their last game against Texas A&M.
It’s going to be a fun matchup to watch.
If Miami beats Ohio State on Wednesday at the Cotton Bowl Classic, Miami’s secondary will be one of the main reasons why, as they have the most significant task in the game.
