Through a quarter and a half of the Cotton Bowl, Miami came out swinging-and swinging hard. The Hurricanes have been in control from the jump, and it’s their defense setting the tone.
The front four has been relentless, collapsing the pocket around Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and making life miserable for the freshman quarterback. Sayin hasn’t had time to breathe, let alone scan the field for deep shots.
But pressure alone wasn’t going to be enough. Miami needed a game-changing play-and Keionte Scott delivered.
With Ohio State trying to get something going on a quick screen, Scott read it like he’d seen the play in the huddle. He jumped the route intended for Brandon Inniss and took it 72 yards the other way for a pick-six, giving Miami a 14-0 lead and injecting even more juice into a defense that’s been flying around all night.
The play was pure instincts and preparation. Sayin never saw Scott lurking, and by the time the ball was out of his hand, it was already too late.
Scott was gone. And just for good measure, as he cruised past the Buckeyes’ sideline, he turned his head and let them know about it.
Confidence? Absolutely.
But when you make that kind of play on this kind of stage, you’ve earned the right to say a little something.
And here’s the kicker-Scott wasn’t even supposed to be out there. After suffering a foot injury in mid-November, many thought his season was over. But he made his return in the College Football Playoff first-round matchup against Texas A&M and immediately reminded everyone why he was one of the most impactful defensive backs in the country before he got hurt.
Against the Aggies, he was everywhere. Ten tackles.
Two sacks. Three tackles for loss.
He looked like a player who hadn’t missed a beat, and more importantly, a player who refuses to let his season end quietly. While defensive linemen Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor have been consistently disruptive up front, Scott’s versatility and playmaking have arguably made him the most valuable piece of this Miami defense.
Coach Mario Cristobal didn’t hesitate to call him a “total team player,” and the numbers back it up. Scott was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, broke up five passes this season, and is one of just two defensive backs in the country to notch five sacks. That’s not just production-that’s rare impact from the secondary.
If Miami keeps this momentum and punches their ticket to the CFP semifinals, there’s no question who the sparkplug was. Keionte Scott didn’t just change the game with one play-he’s changed the ceiling for this Hurricanes team.