\n Miami players offered plenty of praise for Ohio State\u2019s offense and defense on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
\n\tEight Miami players met with the media on Tuesday, and all of them had good things to say about the Buckeyes when they were asked about what they\u2019ve seen on film as they\u2019ve started studying their upcoming opponent in the Cotton Bowl. They still believe in their ability to win, however, with defensive end Akheem Mesidor saying he doesn\u2019t care that the Hurricanes are viewed as the underdog for their College Football Playoff quarterfinal.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tWe\u2019ve rounded up some of the best and most notable\u00a0things we heard from Miami\u2019s players on Tuesday, including how Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has impressed Miami\u2019s star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., why Miami right tackle Francis Mauigoa always expected greatness from his former high school teammate Carnell Tate and the challenge the Hurricanes expect from the Buckeyes in the trenches.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFor his age, he\u2019s very knowledgeable of the game. He\u2019s got the mindset to carry him very far. He’s a real smart young guy. Like as a sophomore, you wouldn’t expect nobody to have the mindset and skill set that he does, but he does and he\u2019s going out and playing just as if he was a fifth- or fourth-year guy.\u201d\u2013 Miami DE\u00a0Rueben Bain Jr. on Ohio State Qb Julian Sayin\n<\/p>\n
\n\tSayin is the only quarterback in the country with a higher completion percentage than Miami\u2019s own quarterback, Carson Beck, so\u00a0Miami\u2019s top defender has good reason to be impressed by what he\u2019s seen from Ohio State\u2019s QB. While Beck is a third-year starter in his sixth year of college football, Sayin is a first-year starter in his second year of college.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI already knew he was going to do what he’s doing right now. I mean, he was that guy over there at IMG. Head down and didn’t really talk much, but he\u2019s all about his business. But he’s the same guy that I’m seeing on film as well. He’s been going around catching balls, making plays down there, which is what I expected out of him from the day we met at IMG. He’s a great guy, great leader, great teammate as well. And I know he’ll be one of the threats at Ohio State.\u201d\u2013 Miami RT Francis Mauigoa on Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, his high school teammate at IMG Academy\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMiami\u2019s star right tackle played with Carnell Tate at IMG Academy in 2021 and 2022, so he\u2019s not surprised that Tate has developed into one of the best wide receivers in college football at Ohio State, catching 48 passes for 838 yards and nine touchdowns this season.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMiami defensive back Keionte Scott also praised Ohio State\u2019s wide receivers.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cDefinitely an exciting matchup for us. We’re excited to get out there. And that\u2019s definitely something they do a good job of, stretching the field and creating explosive plays. Good hands, good routes, finding zone holes. So they do a good job. They have a great room and we\u2019re excited for it.\u201d\u2013 Miami DB Keionte Scott on Ohio State\u2019s wide receivers\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBain also praised Ohio State\u2019s offensive line. He noted\u00a0the challenge of playing a unit that already has experience playing deep into the College Football Playoff, as OSU left tackle Austin Siereveld, left guard Luke Montgomery and center Carson Hinzman were all key players during Ohio State\u2019s national championship run last season.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt’s just another good group we got to go against. I mean, they’re big, they’re physical, they’re talented.\u00a0they communicate well, experienced. They\u2019ve all been in these shoes before, especially this deep in the playoffs. Knowing that, we’re going to go against a team, program, and a position that’s very experienced and talented.\u201d\u2013 Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr. on Ohio State\u2019s offensive line\n<\/p>\n
\n\tAs for the other side of the ball, Miami\u2019s offensive players are well aware of the challenge they\u2019re going to face from Ohio State\u2019s top-ranked defense.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tCarson Beck noted that he was still in the early stages of his film study for next week\u2019s game, but said he expects all three levels of the Buckeyes\u2019 defense\u00a0to test the Hurricanes \u2013 though, as Ryan Day and Ohio State often do, he said his team\u2019s results will ultimately be \u201cabout us\u201d as Miami focuses on how it needs to execute.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThey’re a very, very talented defense. In the back end, the front seven, I mean, they can run all over the field, sideline to sideline. They attack the ball well. They swarm. And their DBs are really, really good. So it’s going to be a challenge for us offensively, but it’s a challenge that we’re looking forward to. But we do recognize how talented they are, and that we’re going to have to come and execute. And at the end of the day, it will be about us.\u201d\u2013 Miami QB Carson Beck on Ohio State\u2019s defense\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMiami running back Mark Fletcher Jr., a former Ohio State commit, praised the Buckeyes\u2019 ability to create \u201cchaos everywhere.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBig up front, big on the second level. Safeties come down, hit, communicate very well, fly around. It’s just chaos everywhere. Those guys, they chase the ball, communicate very well. And they’re just ballplayers. Excited for the challenge. Gamers on every level.\u201d\u2013 Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. on Ohio State\u2019s run defense\n<\/p>\n