ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe told Canesville she is not surprised that Miami is playing in the National Championship Game on Monday night. Rowe stated she saw the potential in Miami when she covered the Hurricanes in September.
Rowe was on the sideline for the 26-7 Miami win over Florida on Sept. 20 with Chris Fowler, who called play-by-play, and Kirk Herbstreit as the analyst. Fowler, Herbstreit and Rowe also called Miami's win over Florida State in the regular season and the Fiesta Bowl victory over Mississippi.
Miami beat Florida State 28-22 in a game that the Seminoles had to outscore Miami 19-0 in the fourth quarter to make the game close. Miami beat Mississippi 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl in a game that featured a wild fourth quarter.
After the Miami defense led the way in a 10-3 win over Texas A&M in the first round of the College Football Playoff and Ohio State in the quarterfinal, quarterback Carson Beck led two fourth-quarter scoring drives to secure the win over Mississippi.
ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe not surprised Hurricanes are in College Football Playoff National Championship Game
Shout out to @espn reporter @sportsiren to sit and talk at #caneville pic.twitter.com/SD9yFlgqtu
— Caneville (@caneville305) January 17, 2026
""They haven't surprised me. We had them early in the season, in September. I remember telling one of my colleagues, 'Miami might be in the National Championship Game.' They are one of the most balanced teams in the country, because their line of scrimmage on offense is dominant. Carson Beck is great. Malachi Toney is the best player in college football right now. And their defensive front is special. So I'm not surprised that they're here. I saw this coming in September. They had a blip in the middle of the road -- Louisville and SMU. I think what I'm surprised by, I'm proud that they were able to regroup and they're really hitting their stride right now.""ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe
The CFP run has proven the balance Miami has. Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. provided the offense Miami needed in its first two CFP wins. Beck and the Miami wide receivers made the big plays for the Hurricanes to beat Ole Miss.
In the games Rowe covered for Miami earlier this season, the Hurricanes had seven tackles for loss and four sacks against Florida, and five TFLs and two sacks against Florida State. Miami also dominated Florida on the line of scrimmage offensively with 46 carries for 184 yards and three TDs.
Florida held Miami to 32 carries for 97 rushing yards with five TFLs and one sack. In the three CFP games, Miami has 116 carries for 519 yards and three TDs. Fletcher has 58 carries for 395 yards in three CFP games. Against Texas A&M, Fletcher had a career-high of 172 rushing yards on 17 carries.
When Mario Cristobal was hired, elevating the physicality that Miami plays with was the priority. Cristobal made the lines of scrimmage the first positions he emphasized in recruiting. All-Americans defensive end Rueben Bain and right tackle Francis Mauigoa have been foundational players for Miami.
Cristobal has built a culture of toughness. That is illustrated by Rowe's observation about the dominant Miami OL and the special DL led by Bain and Akheem Mesidor. Miami has proven throughout the season its ability to rebound from adversity after the losses to Louisville and SMU and in the CFP.