The home teams were dominant in the first year of the College Football Playoff. This year? Not so much
No. 10 seed Miami used an opportunistic defense and got enough offense to pull out a 10-3 win at No. 7 Texas A&M. The victory by the Hurricanes came one day after Alabama rallied for a historic comeback defeat at Oklahoma.
Miami advances to the quarterfinals and a meeting with Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.
The defensive struggle was scoreless at halftime. Amid windy conditions at Kyle Field, the first 30 minutes included a lost fumble and missed field goal by Texas A&M and two missed field goals by the Hurricanes.
The first drive of the second half produced points. Three completions by Carson Beck got Miami into Texas A&M territory. A 24-yard run by Mark Fletcher created a goal-to-go situation before the Hurricanes settled for a 21-yard kick from Carter Davis.
The Hurricane defense was stingy throughout. An interception of Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed on the next possession set up Miami in scoring range, but that threat was thwarted by another missed field goal by Davis.
The Aggies needed 52 minutes to register their first score. A methodical 16-play drive of 67 yards stalled at the Miami 17. Randy Bond split the uprights from 35 yards to tie the game at 3 with just more than eight minutes left in regulation. It was his 71st career field goal for Bond, tying the school record.
A minute later, the Texas A&M defense made its biggest play of the day with Dalton Brooks stripping Miami receiver Malachi Toney near midfield. Daymion Sanford pounced on the ball for first turnover by the Hurricanes. It was just the second lost fumble of the season by Miami.
But defensive lineman Reuben Bain sacked Reed on third down to force a punt.
On the first play of the ensuing play, Fletcher sprinted 56 yards to Texas 30. It was the longest run of Fletcher’s career.
Fletcher, who finished with 172 yards on 17 carries, then ripped off a 12-yard run to put Miami into field-goal range. But they didn’t need a field goal as Toney took a short pass from Beck and ran around the end for a 15-yard touchdown on third down for the game’s first touchdown with 1:44 left.
Texas A&M drove deep into Miami territory before an interception by Bryce Fitzgerald in the end zone fittingly ended the last threat by the Aggies. It was Fitzgerald’s second pick of Reed in the game.
Beck finished with modest numbers, completing 14 of 20 for 103 yards.
Texas A&M outgained the Hurricanes 326-278. Reed threw for 237 yards.