In the days before the Cotton Bowl, former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer didn't think Miami had much of a chance. It wasn't a shocking take because Meyer was going to support his former school and his coaching protégé, Ryan Day.
But what was shocking was how little regard he had for Miami's defensive front. Meyer is a coach that has always been about toughness and physicality on the lines, and yet he seemed to completely gloss over the fact that the Hurricanes had an elite defensive front. However, the three-time national championship coach couldn't deny what he saw last Wednesday and spoke about it on his Triple Option podcast.
“You got your a$$ kicked at the line of scrimmage the last two games.”@CoachUrbanMeyer says play calling wasn’t the issue vs Miami.#cfbplayoff pic.twitter.com/TJEt5gbwLF
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) January 5, 2026
"Who's calling plays at that point, I think it's important, but I think at times it's a little overrated as well," Meyer said. "Here's the issue, you got your ass kicked at the line of scrimmage in the past two games."
Miami came out the gate flying around on defense. In the Buckeyes' first series, Rueben Bain completely whipped Gabe VanSickle, who was an injury replacement for starting guard Tegra Tshabola. That set the tone for the Hurricanes to eat on defense. Miami had five sacks on Julian Sayin and pressured him all game with Ahkeem Mesidor's two sacks leading the way.
Challenge Miami's defense at your own risk
Meyer learned what Texas A&M's offensive line learned in the first round of the CFP — don't disrespect Miami's defense because the lesson learned will be a painful one. Again, it was surprising that Meyer thought so little of the Hurricanes' defense because he's seen them play many times this season, and he knows exactly what a championship defense looks like. The best defenses are dominant up front and opportunistic in the secondary. Miami checks off both boxes.
Anyway, at least Meyer was begrudgingly willing to admit that Ohio State couldn't handle Miami up front despite a roster filled with stars. He should probably apologize too, but that might be a bridge too far.
I've yet to hear much audio from Ole Miss in advance of Thursday night's Fiesta Bowl, but they'd be best served to keep it professional.