The Associated Press
Texas A&M cornerback Dezz Ricks tackles Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney on Saturday.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Coach Mario Cristobal was doing his postgame interview on the field after his 10th-seeded Miami Hurricanes knocked off Texas A&M in the College Football Playoff when Michael Irvin came out of nowhere and planted a kiss on his cheek.
A beaming Cristobal laughed before wiping off the NFL Hall of Famer’s slobber as the celebration continued for the Hurricanes.
The U is back, with the Hurricanes proving doubters who didn’t think they deserved a playoff spot wrong with a 10-3 victory over No. 7 seed Texas A&M on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals.
“It was important, first, to get in the playoff, then to go and win at a place like this, 100,000-plus plus people, on the road, a team that was arguably top 2 or 3 until their last game, and to get it done in this type of environment, we needed that,” Cristobal said. “If you could draw it up how we wanted it, we wanted to go there. We wanted to come here and do it against a great football team.”
Next, the Hurricanes face a bigger challenge with a New Year’s Eve date against No. 2 Ohio State, the defending national champs, in the Cotton Bowl.
The Hurricanes (11-2) got the last at-large bid in the playoff over Notre Dame thanks largely to their win over the Fighting Irish in the opener, causing some debate about whether they belonged.
Now they get a chance to compete for a sixth national championship and first since 2001. Irvin, who helped the ‘Canes to a title in 1987, and fellow Hall of Fame receiver Andre Johnson, the star of that 2001 squad, joined in on the party at Kyle Field on Saturday, bringing some of that old school swag to this current Miami team that has its own brand of confidence.
It’s a third straight appearance in the Cotton Bowl for the Buckeyes (12-1), who won the CFP semifinal over Texas there last season before beating Notre Dame for their ninth national title. Ohio State was the Big Ten runner-up after No. 1 Indiana handed the team its first loss of the season 13-10 in the conference championship game.
Ole Miss has rematch
OXFORD, Miss — The Mississippi Rebels head into a second successive rematch in the College Football Playoff — this time facing the only team to beat them this season.
Ole Miss (12-1) defeated Tulane 41-10 Saturday in the opening round, nearly matching a 45-10 regular season home triumph over the Green Wave in the fourth week of the regular season.
Next up for the sixth-seeded Rebels is a clash with third-seeded Georgia (12-1), the Southeastern Conference champs, in the quarterfinal round at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
The Bulldogs defeated visiting Ole Miss in a 43-35 shootout on Oct. 18, rallying from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
“We’re looking forward to playing them again,” said wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who had his team-high sixth touchdown catch of the season against Tulane. “Georgia is impressive. But there were things in that game that we could have done better.”
Unlike the first meeting, the Rebels have been through extensive changes, topped by Pete Golding replacing Lane Kiffin as coach two days after the final game of the regular season.
Kiffin departed for LSU on Nov. 30, opening the door for Golding, who had served three years as the Rebels’ defensive coordinator.
Ole Miss made a seamless transition in Golding’s head coaching debut in the lopsided home win over Tulane. The Rebels will be hoping for a carryover effect in the Sugar Bowl, a neutral site with historical ties for both programs.
“I know how much it means to be playing in New Orleans,” said Golding, who grew up not far from the Big Easy in Hammond, Louisiana. “We will enjoy this one tonight and tomorrow we start preparing for Georgia.”
Oregon gets Tech
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. — Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi did not mince words when assessing the fifth-ranked Ducks’ defensive performance in a 51-34 win over No. 12 James Madison in a College Football Playoff game.
While three of James Madison’s touchdowns came after Oregon built a 48-13 lead, Lupoi was still upset with the Ducks allowing a whopping 509 yards of offense.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling that we get to move on and very thankful for that,” Lupoi said. “But if we played anywhere remotely close this next game the way we did in the second half, we’re going to have a disappointed feeling after the game.”
What looms next for Oregon (12-1) is a bout with Texas Tech in a quarterfinal game at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. The Ducks opened as a 1.5-point favorite, per BetMGM College Football odds.
