Skull Session: Ohio State to Face Miami in the Cotton Bowl; the Buckeyes Last Beat the Hurricanes in 2010, But the Record Books Don’t Reflect It

Welcome to the Skull Session.

Congratulations to Ohio State's winter graduates!

Congrats to our Buckeye Graduates pic.twitter.com/gAfUty1n51
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 21, 2025

Welcome to the club!

Have a good Monday.

BREAK THE U, PART 2. You can’t talk Ohio State vs. Miami without revisiting the 2003 BCS National Championship Game.

This past summer, Maurice Clarett joined us for a 12th Warrior Happy Hour — an exclusive conversation with our biggest supporters that we plan to bring back next offseason — and he called that win one of the defining moments of his football career. A few months earlier, after Jack Sawyer’s scoop-and-score in the Cotton Bowl, Clarett told me his forced fumble on Sean Taylor was even more impactful than Sawyer’s play, though he admitted he might be a little biased.

“I’m biased,” he joked. “It was the championship game.”

On a more serious note, Clarett said he could relate to what Sawyer experienced after his iconic moment in Dallas.

“I was laughing with Jack. I was telling Jack, ‘You’re a hometown kid.’ I said, ‘Watching you, as a 41-year-old adult, do that, I now understand the impact that the play I had against Sean Taylor had on people.’”

It was a lot. Clarett’s two touchdowns, Michael Jenkins and Craig Krenzel's too — really, the entire win deserves a standing ovation.

I HAVE NO MEMORY OF THIS GAME. Allegedly, Ohio State beat Miami in 2010. I say allegedly because, one, the win isn’t in the program’s official record book thanks to Tattoogate, and two, I have absolutely no memory of the game. None. Which is strange, considering I was 10 years old and entering the peak of my Ohio State fandom. I loved Terrelle Pryor — I have newspaper clippings in a scrapbook that still sits proudly on a bookcase in my old bedroom. I also loved Boom and Zoom, Daniel Herron and Brandon Saine. I have this picture to prove that:

But Ohio State’s 36-24 win over Miami on Sept. 11, 2010?

I can’t remember it.

So let’s remember it together.

Pryor was Ohio State’s MVP that afternoon. While he completed just 12 of 27 passes, he still threw for 233 yards and a touchdown while connecting with five different receivers. DeVier Posey led the way with four catches for 105 yards, Herron turned one catch into 47 yards, Dane Sanzenbacher caught three passes for 37 yards, Saine added three receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown, and Jake Stoneburner had one catch for eight yards.

Pryor also carried the ball 20 times for 113 yards and a rushing touchdown, further underscoring how much Ohio State leaned on him that day.

Defensively, the Buckeyes made life difficult for Miami quarterback Jacory Harris. Chimdi Chekwa (pronounced cheek-wuh, IYKYK) recorded two interceptions, while Cameron Heyward — still going strong with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Big 2025 — and Nathan Williams each added one of their own.

Special teams quietly played a major role. Devin Barclay connected on five of six field goals and all three extra points, accounting for half of Ohio State’s 36 points. Ben Buchanan also had a solid afternoon, averaging 46 yards on four punts. Way to make the Vest proud, gentlemen.

I still don’t remember watching any of it, but looking back, it’s easy to see how Ohio State won.

Oh, and by the way, I do remember Ohio State’s loss to Miami in 2011 — but I choose not to. It’s better for my mental health.

A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN. Dan Hope, Andy Anders, and I will be at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center all day Monday as Ohio State holds press conferences for its head coach, offense and defense. Here’s who we’ll be talking to in the Buckeyes’ team room:

11 a.m. to Noon: Quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, center Carson Hinzman, and tight end Max Klare
Noon: Head coach Ryan Day
6:45 p.m.: Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr., defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr., and linebacker Sonny Styles

And before you ask — no, I didn’t forget Brian Hartline. Looks like we won’t get him until Dec. 29, when Ohio State has Team Media Day at the Cotton Bowl. We’ll have access to Day, all assistant coaches, and all players, but you can bet there will be a crowd around the offensive coordinator/USF head coach when he finally appears before the Buckeye beat reporters.

But I digress.

Keep up with our social media channels and website for all the news coming out of the Woody on Monday!

OLYMPIC VILLAGE. Folks, the Ohio State wrestling team is legit.

This season, Tom Ryan’s squad has wins over then-No. 2 Nebraska (33-3), then-No. 3 Iowa (27-12), then-No. 9 NC State (26-10), and now No. 3 Iowa State (21-13). Is that good? Yeah. It’s really, really good.

Nic Bouzakis has been excellent at 125, Ben Davino a pleasant surprise at 133, national champion Jesse Mendez… well, he’s still Jesse Mendez at 141. Ethan Stiles (149), Brandon Cannon (157), Paddy Gallagher (165), Carson Kharchla (174), Dylan Fishback (184), Luke Geog (197), and Nick Feldman (285) have all shined too. Wait — did I just name the entire starting lineup? I did. That’s awesome.

10-0 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/EJLx9ybdTg
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) December 21, 2025

As always, there’s great. And then there’s Penn State.

The teams meet Feb. 13 at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania. That match will tell us a lot about this Buckeye team. Until then, Ohio State has to take care of business against Oregon State (Jan. 4), Indiana (Jan. 11), Minnesota (Jan. 23)… **inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale**… Nebraska (Jan. 25), Wisconsin (Jan. 30), Michigan (Feb. 1) and Iowa (Feb. 6).

NEW DUBCAST. The first Eleven Dubcast of the week recaps the opening round of the College Football Playoff that featured a slop-fest between Miami and Texas A&M, an Alabama comeback and possibly the end of G5 schools in the CFP.