Miami QB Carson Beck’s stunning reveal about play that sealed upset of Ohio State

Before the biggest throw of his season, one that essentially secured an all-time College Football Playoff upset, Miami quarterback Carson Beck literally had nothing on his mind.

“Shoot, I was blacked out,” Beck told ESPN with a laugh. “Man, was blacked out. I was out there just, shoot, I don’t know, I was just blacked out playing a game I love.”

A “blacked out” Beck didn’t have much to do on the play, throwing a short screen to receiver CJ Daniels on third-and-4 with Miami ahead by three points with 1:53 remaining.

Daniels caught Beck’s pass, made one Buckeyes defender miss and then secured the first down that led to the game-clinching touchdown in No. 10 Miami’s shocking 24-14 upset of the defending champion and second-ranked Buckeyes on Wednesday night in the Cotton Bowl.

Beck made just enough plays against the nation’s top-ranked defense, completing 19 of 26 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown, along with 23 rushing yards.

“We knew coming into today that it wasn’t going to be easy. That’s a damn good football team on the other side there and it was a battle, it took all four quarters into the very last minute,” Beck told ESPN after the win. “I’m just so proud of how we fought adversity and just continued to fight throughout the game.”

It took a monstrous effort on all fronts for Miami to emerge with the win Wednesday night, especially on defense, and the game hinged on the critical third-down play at the end of the fourth quarter.

Ohio State rallied to slice the deficit to 17-14 before Miami faced the critical third-down play at the Buckeyes’ 20-yard line.

With Ohio State equipped with two timeouts, the Hurricanes needed a first down or risk having to stop an explosive offense that had seemed to find its footing in the second half.

Miami dialed up the right play to get that first down and then scored two plays later to all but seal the game, before an interception on the next pick actually secured the win.

Beck, who won two national titles as a backup with Georgia during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, is now two wins away from winning his first title as a starting quarterback.

The Hurricanes will face the winner of Thursday’s clash between his former team, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 6 Ole Miss in the semifinals next Thursday.

“It’s all I got. It’s what I’ve lived for my whole entire life,” Beck said to ESPN about his play. “It’s what I’ve worked for, these moments, but I couldn’t do it all by myself. From 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. every single day we’re in the facility, we’re grinding, we’re practicing, we’re watching film. Every single day, day in and day out for moments like this. So that when you get in these big-time moments, you fall back on your preparation and when the moment calls, you rise to it.”