Ohio State undone in the trenches in CFP quarterfinal loss to Miami

ARLINGTON, Texas — It took only three plays for Ohio State to find itself overwhelmed by Miami’s pass rush.

The Buckeyes were on third down on their first drive when the Hurricanes overloaded the right side of the offensive line.

Disruptive defensive ends Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor both lined up across from right tackle Phillip Daniels.

When Daniels slid over to pick up a blitzing linebacker, Bain and Mesidor dipped inside, barreling past the interior linemen to swarm quarterback Julian Sayin. Mesidor would end up dragging Sayin to the AT&T Stadium turf.

The Buckeyes were unable to hold up in the trenches against Miami, an issue that proved to be their undoing as their bid to repeat as national champions ended in a stunning 24-14 loss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Dec. 31.

There was little that mattered more than the Hurricanes putting Sayin under frequent duress, sacking him five times and hurrying three times. According to Pro Football Focus, he was under pressure on 15 of his 40 dropbacks (37.5%).

“To our standards, it’s embarrassing to go out and play like that,” center Carson Hinzman said, “knowing we could have played so much better.”

The Buckeyes had kept Sayin well protected throughout the regular season, giving up just six sacks through the first 12 games.

But cracks surfaced in the postseason as they surrendered five sacks in each of their two losses, including to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 6.

The Hurricanes used stunts to stress the Buckeyes’ pass protection, but the movement at the line of scrimmage was not an uncommon sight from opponents. The Hoosiers had used a heavy mix as well.

It was Miami’s level of talent that added another layer of difficulty.

“They’re NFL-type dudes,” left tackle Austin Siereveld said, “and we just didn't execute.”

Bain and Mesidor, who are considered potential first-round NFL draft picks in 2026, combined for three of the Hurricanes’ five sacks, using a burst of speed and power off the edge to break into the pocket on repeated series.

The pressure was heaviest early on as their three sacks came on three of the Buckeyes’ first four drives.

“We've got to match the speed of the game early,” Buckeyes offensive line coach Tyler Bowen said, “and that starts with me.”

Left guard Luke Montgomery pointed to issues that arose with their blocking technique and fundamentals late in the year.

Individual matchups faltered.

“It was physicality,” Daniels said.

Miami dialed up its share of blitzes as well. Four of its five sacks involved extra rushers.

When Ohio State’s potential game-winning drive in the fourth quarter began wobbling, it came not longer after Sayin was sacked on a second down.

The Hurricanes sent linebacker Wesley Bissainthe on a blitz into the backfield when he ran over running back Bo Jackson to reach Sayin.  

The Buckeyes were banged up on the offensive line. They were without starting right guard Tegra Tshabola, resulting in them to redshirt freshman Gabe VanSickle to make his first career start.

Siereveld also suffered a leg contusion during the first half, leading him to make an early exit.

“I wasn’t at 100%,” Siereveld said, “nowhere near close.”

The Buckeyes reshuffled their line at halftime. Not only did Ian Moore replace Siereveld at left tackle, but Joshua Padilla also took over for VanSickle at right guard.

“We have a next-man-up mentality and a couple guys stepped in and did some good things,” Bowen said, “but certainly we want to have Austin out there. Austin's a warrior. He battled through it as long as he could.”

The Buckeyes successfully managed injuries on the offensive line last season. Despite season-ending injuries to left tackle Josh Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin, they reconfigured their personnel to adjust, most notably bumping left guard Donovan Jackson to tackle. But there was no easy fix in 2025.

“This is part of playing this time of year,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “You’ve got to have depth, and you’ve got to perform in those moments. That’s the bottom line, and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to do what they can.”

Though the Hurricanes were only a double-digit seed, the last among seven at-large teams to receive a berth to the 12-team playoff, their pass rush made them dangerous.

Their seven sacks in an upset at Texas A&M on Dec. 20 had propelled them into the quarterfinals.

“They played a great game,” Montgomery said, “and I don't think we played good, especially in the first half.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at [email protected] and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State undone in the trenches in CFP loss to Miami