ARLINGTON, Texas – Ahead of the Cotton Bowl, there was plenty of conversation about Ohio State’s defense, its championship pedigree, its three first-team All-Americans and how dominant the unit had been throughout the regular season.

The Hurricanes took note and last Wednesday, made a statement of their own.

Turns out Miami’s defense has its share of playmakers capable of impacting games in a big way, too and it didn’t take long for those defenders to set the tone in Miami’s 24-14 win over Ohio State.

Miami forced a three-and-out and a punt on the Buckeyes’ first possession of the game. Ohio State’s second possession resulted in another punt and the third led to points – for Miami, after Keionte Scott intercepted a pass from Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown that gave the Hurricanes a 14-0 lead.

It was a play that provided a spark on the Miami sideline and was the result of not only Scott’s preparation heading into the game, but, he said, faith that his teammates would be there to help him execute.

“It was on film for sure, but I think in the moment, with all the skill players on one side of the [field], obviously knew the ball was coming in that area. Then as soon as the tight end motioned, I kind of confirmed in my head – made up in my mind that I was going at that moment. Shot my shot, and the ball went in my hands,” Scott said. “But that goes back to just trusting my brothers behind me and trusting my brothers to be able to play fast and play at a high level … We know everybody is swarming to the ball, which is one of our principles, one of the things we stand on. So, me just knowing that everybody is swarming behind me, [and] me being able to play fast and take a shot, that’s what that was.”

Said defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman of Miami’s early defensive surge, “Our guys were ready to play, and I think the way that we practice, what we [did] on Tuesday and Wednesday during the practice week, I thought our guys played with really good effort all week. I thought we continued to compete and our guys were ready to step up early in the game and go play fast. I think they were confident. And in those first couple series, I thought they played really fast. We made a couple mistakes early in the game, but I think our speed and the way we swarm the ball kind of covered some things up.”

And while Ohio State adjusted and was able to put together two productive drives in the second half, the Hurricanes maintained a steady pressure on Sayin and the Buckeyes’ run game.

Miami totaled five sacks and hurried Sayin three times. The Hurricanes also notched seven tackles for loss and held the Buckeyes to just 45 rushing yards – a season low.

The Buckeyes didn’t find much success on third down, either. Ohio State was just 3-of-10 on third-down conversions, and of course, the Buckeyes were held scoreless in the first half.

And while two of Miami’s defensive leaders – ends Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. – delivered their share of big plays, they weren’t the only ones making an impact.

Scott and Jakobe Thomas both had interceptions. Thomas and linebacker Mohamed Toure led the Hurricanes with seven tackles each, while linebacker Wesley Bissainthe added six stops. And both Mesidor and Marquise Lightfoot had two tackles for loss.

It was the second time in as many playoff games that the Hurricanes have delivered a strong defensive showing.

Against Texas A&M in Miami’s College Football Playoff opener, the Hurricanes totaled seven sacks of Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed and had nine tackles for loss. They also forced three turnovers and limited the Aggies to just one score – a 35-yard field goal.

Those kinds of performances, Hetherman said, were months in the making.

“Our guys have grown a lot,” Hetherman said. “I think it started in spring football. Our guys learned to play together. They learned to continue to grow and build and I think our fundamentals, our technique and just the way our guys learned how to compete together, we’ve gotten better. And I think it happened during the season. We’ve gotten better since the Notre Dame game. We’ve gotten better since the games early in the year and I think every week, the way our guys practice, the way they compete, we’re constantly getting better at what we do.”

Said Mesidor, “I think we showed that we can compete with anybody and we’re one of the top defenses in the country.”

But as well as they played against first Texas A&M and now Ohio State, the Hurricanes know their work is far from finished. Another challenge awaits in the Fiesta Bowl, where they’ll face Mississippi in Thursday’s national semifinal.

The Rebels, who beat SEC rival Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl to advance, average 38 points and 496.2 yards per game.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has been a force since moving into the starting role and even amidst coaching changes and uncertainty after former head coach Lane Kiffin’s departure for LSU, the Rebels offense has been steady and productive.

If Miami is to continue its playoff run and compete for a national title, the Hurricanes defense will have to continue playing the way it has of late.

And that, they say, is their focus heading into another week of preparation.

“This is huge and I’m so proud of this team,” Mesidor said after the Cotton Bowl. “But our mentality right now is on to the next.”

Added Bain, “Never look too far ahead, not get too high, not get too low. We’ve got to get ready for next week.”