Miami vs. Ohio State: Who wins the quarterback battle in College Football Playoff matchup?

The Miami Hurricanes are back in action two weeks after beating the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies 10-3 in a wind-induced slugfest where their defense had an elite performance to help them advance to the next round.

Things don’t get any easier on Wednesday when the Hurricanes take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in their toughest challenge of the year in the Cotton Bowl, with a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals on the line.

One of the biggest storylines heading into the Cotton Bowl will be if Miami’s quarterback Carson Beck can hold his own vs. a Heisman finalist in Ohio State’s Julian Sayin.

Miami has seen its fair share of challenges, especially early in the season. And they’re playing their best football, going on a nice streak over the last four weeks of the regular season. But, their offense did struggle in the wind at College Station, with Beck averaging only four yards per attempt and throwing for 103 yards total.

Still, Beck has enjoyed a nice season, throwing for 3,175 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while completing 74.5 percent of his passes (career high) and averaging 8.5 yards per attempt.

His QBR ranks 13th in the nation (79.6), while Miami’s offensive line has protected him at a high level, as Beck has the lowest pressure rate in college football and has been sacked just 11 times.

On the flip side, Ohio State will have redshirt freshman Sayin at the helm, and their gameplan for him is much different. Sayin has thrown for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while completing a stellar 78.4 percent of his passes and averaging 9.3 yards per attempt.

His QBR ranks second in the nation (90.1), and he’s also been well protected, that is, up until the National Championship Game, having just 11 sacks on the season.

Both quarterbacks have been among the best in college football this year. But, does Miami have the advantage at the most important position?

Beck is asked to do a lot of different things in the Shannon Dawson offense, which has both unlocked the keys for Miami and also led them into trouble at times.

Beck and the Hurricanes were peaking towards the end of the season, with the quarterback averaging 281.3 yards in his final four games, while Miami averaged 37.8 points in that stretch. He was throwing the ball downfield, being accurate with throws, and, most importantly, taking care of the football.

Beck had 11 touchdowns to just one interception in that stretch, as he was both accurate and willing to stretch the field. However, that has also led to trouble, especially in big games, as we’ve seen this year.

Beck’s 10 interceptions are a concern. He threw two against then-No. 18 USF. Four against Louisville. Two against SMU, and one against Florida and Pitt. The interceptions and turnover-worthy plays come in bunches, but his accuracy and decision-making have also waned in those games.

Now, a key for the Miami offense will be staying consistent with the run game behind Mark Fletcher, who was the X-Factor in the Texas A&M win. That should open things up a bit more for Beck if the Hurricanes can run the ball successfully.

But, he’ll need to be much better than he was against the Aggies for Miami to win this one.

As for Sayin, the Buckeyes look to get the ball out of his hands quickly with a variety of different throws. He really hasn’t seen much pressure this year, but faced some adversity when hit in the mouth against Indiana, who had five sacks in the 13-10 loss for Ohio State.

If Miami can generate similar pressure, that presents a different look for the young Sayin, which changes up Ohio State’s offense, even with the elite playmakers.

Sayin has been able to throw the ball short when considering the average depth of target and let his wide receivers do the work. However, against a stout Miami pass defense, he’ll need to make a few additional plays on his own, which may mean going out of his comfort zone and testing downfield more often.

The run game will be important on both sides, but these two teams have shown the capability of stopping the run at a high level. That puts more stress on the quarterbacks, and the better player at the position could end up leading his team to the College Football Playoff semifinals.