Michael Irvin couldn’t sleep Wednesday night, and it had nothing to do with caffeine or the celebration beers. Miami’s upset of Ohio State hit him the same way a big game used to when he played. The kind that keeps your mind racing, no matter how well things went.
Advertisement
“I can’t sleep,” Irvin said afterward. “It’s like I just played a football game. You go for 190 yards, and all you can think about is the two or three plays you should’ve made.”
That restless energy matched what Miami had just done to college football.
The No. 10 Hurricanes knocked off No. 2 Ohio State 24–14 in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve, pulling off the biggest point-spread upset in the history of the College Football Playoff. Miami entered as a 9.5-point underdog against the defending national champions and left with their season over.
It was the kind of win nobody outside Coral Gables expected. Miami jumped out to a 14–0 halftime lead and never fully let Ohio State back into the game. The Buckeyes made a push in the second half, but every time momentum seemed to tilt, Miami responded with physical football and timely execution.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes put the game away the same way they’d controlled it all night on the ground. Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown carried the ball five times over six plays before a quick screen to CJ Daniels moved Miami inside the Ohio State 10. With the Buckeyes down to one timeout, the math was simple: bleed the clock and force desperation.
Ohio State appeared to let Brown score with 55 seconds left, hoping extra time would give them a miracle chance. It didn’t. Julian Sayin was intercepted with 43 seconds remaining, officially ending the Buckeyes’ title defense.
The loss also continued a strange new playoff trend. Teams with first-round byes in the 12-team format are now 0–5, and for the second time this decade, college football is guaranteed a new national champion.
Inside the stadium, the Hall of Famer unleashed what quickly became the night’s most viral moment. Spotting a water cooler draped in Ohio State gear, Irvin turned it into his personal punching bag, delivering a WWE-style promo while whipping it repeatedly and shouting,
“Didn’t I tell y’all not to come to this stadium?” Between strikes, he delivered the line that summed up the night: “Belt. To. Ass.” He flashed the U hand sign to the crowd and promised more of the same, declaring, “Same belt channel. Same belt time.”
Miami is now 2–0 in the College Football Playoff, having already beaten Texas A&M in the opening round. Next up is a semifinal matchup against the winner of Georgia and Ole Miss, with an added layer of intrigue if quarterback Carson Beck ends up facing his former team after transferring from Georgia following an elbow injury.
Less than a month ago, Miami barely squeezed into the playoff field. Now, they’re two wins away from a national title, playing with house money and a chip on their shoulder.
“I’m sitting here eating chicken, trying to soak up the alcohol,” Irvin said, laughing. “Ice cream too. But I still can’t sleep.”
