At some point this winter — maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks — melancholy will fade and Hurricanes fans will be able to appreciate all that was accomplished during a season when UM got back its good name and returned to prominence.
But on Monday, there was only that pit-of-your-stomach gnawing concoction of disappointment, frustration and emptiness that foments when a chance for history is squandered.
The 10 disappointments that will linger for a while from this 27-21 loss to Indiana in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium:
▪ The Carson Beck interception to seal the Hoosiers’ win.
Beck did so much right in these playoffs, orchestrating the comeback win against Mississippi and lifting his legacy, but the underthrow to Keelan Marion will be the epitaph of his college career., fairly or not. There was miscommunication on the play, and Marion said afterward that it was his fault.
“I got to look for the ball and make that play for him,” Marion said, adding that he should have turned around sooner.
Beck credited Indiana defensive back (and Miami Northwestern alum) Jamari Sharp for making a great play on the pick.
Because the college clock stops after first downs, there was enough time, with 48 seconds left and no timeouts remaining, to try a couple more intermediate and sideline routes to get a bit closer.
Instead, Beck finished his college career with his 24th interception in two seasons, overshadowing the fact that he went an impressive 16-4 against ranked teams as a starter at Georgia and Miami.
▪ Indiana converted too many key third downs and fourth downs, which was so uncharacteristic of this Hurricanes defense.
The Hoosiers converted eight of those 18 opportunities, and most were killers, including three third-down conversions (on third-and-6, third-and-13 and third-and-8) on their first TD drive.
The Canes were 11th in third down defense this season, allowing only 31 percent of attempts to be converted.
Indiana was 1 for 6 on fourth-down attempts in the fourth quarter this season but converted both Monday — Fernando Mendoza’s patented back-shoulder throw to Charlie Becker on a fourth-an- 5, and then his 12-yard quarterback draw on another fourth-and – to give Indiana a 10-point lead and what proved to be the winning points with 9:18 left.
▪ The Alex Bauman whiff on the blocked punt that Indiana recovered for a touchdown.
Bauman was more than serviceable this season, beating out Elija Lofton for the starting tight end job and delivering several key blocks, including one that helped spring Mark Fletcher Jr. on his 57-yard touchdown Monday.
But his combination of carelessness and lack of effort on the blocked punt was damaging, as Mikail Kamara burst passed him with no resistance.
This was just the second time a blocked punt was returned for a touchdown in a BCS/CFP championship. The last was by FSU in 2000. It was the eighth blocked punt by Indiana since the start of the 2024 season.
Carter Davis’ missed 50-yard field goal at the end of the first half also was damaging, leaving UM down 10-0 at halftime.
▪ Tough nights for a few players who were so good during this playoff run.
Ethan O’Connor was exceptional against Ohio State and Mississippi, holding uber talented receivers to six catches in 14 attempts for a combined 58 yards.
But he was beaten multiple times Monday, including the fourth-and-5 pass to Becker.
Center James Brockermeyer, who was at the top of his game during the first three games of the postseason, was beaten on a few blocks, including a costly one on CharMar Brown’s third-and-2 run that came up short.
Keionte Scott, brilliant all season, missed a key tackle on a third-and-1, extending Indiana’s first touchdown drive.
Fletcher, who was otherwise very good Monday, allowed a third-down sack in a very uncharacteristic breakdown for him in pass protection, ending Miami’s third possession.
Safety Jakobe Thomas, who went from a part-time player at Tennessee to a key catalyst on this defense, had a chance to stop Mendoza’s TD run but was late.
▪ Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson not getting creative enough until the second half.
He had several excellent calls after halftime, including the shovel pass to Malachi Toney for a 22-yard touchdown that pulled Miami to within 24-21.
But Dawson’s play-calling in the first half was uninspired, drawing the ire of ESPN analyst and legendary coach Nick Saban.
“Miami needs more diversity; spread the ball around more,” Saban implored Dawson at halftime. “On third-and-1, take a shot. You’ve got to do what they think you’re not going to do. Don’t be so conservative. Throw caution to the wind in a game like this.”
Miami’s 18 yards in the first quarter were the fewest ever in a championship game in the 12-year history of the playoff. Dawson got the ball to Toney only three times in the first half, and those touches netted 11 yards.
As was the case in the Texas A&M game, Dawson did his best work late. But the slow start offensively left Miami playing catch-up all night. Miami ran just 22 plays for 69 yards in the first half.
The Canes had three three-and-outs in the first half after doing that just five times in the previous nine games, per ESPN.
▪ Missed tackles and miscommunication. The day defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman arrived in January, he made clear those would stop. And for 15 games leading up to Monday, neither was much of a problem on a defense that ranked in the top 12 nationally in most key categories.
But there were several hurtful missed tackles Monday and confusion on two plays when Indiana bunched receivers on one side. The second of those resulted in a 15-yard reception on third-and-5 in the final five minutes, a play that drained the clock and ultimately left Miami with less time on its final possession.
ESPN’s Molly McGrath relayed at halftime that Hetherman told his players: “I don’t recognize you. You’re missing tackles. You’re making unacceptable mistakes.”
Hetherman, who did exceptional work all season, made one miscalculation early, when he gave Indiana receivers too much of a cushion.
At halftime, Saban criticized UM for “playing all this zone and off coverage and giving them all these gift throws. Mendoza is going to pick them apart.”
To his credit, Hetherman adjusted at halftime and Mendoza opened the second half 0 for 3, with three sacks, before a completion early in the fourth.
▪ Indiana’s dominance on the line of scrimmage early.
The Hoosiers bullied Miami for the game’s first 18 minutes, particularly defensively. As ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit noted, Miami’s offensive linemen had a 53-pound average weight advantage on Indiana’s defensive line, but the Canes couldn’t consistently “move them because of their quickness and scheme up front.”
Miami mustered just 26 yards on its first 14 carries, while Indiana churned out 12- and 14-play drives in the first half.
▪ Too many self-inflicted wounds. Even beyond the Bauman breakdown on the blocked punt, UM committed seven penalties for 60 yards. Particularly inexcusable was a delay of game to begin Miami’s final possession.
And it could have been a lot worse; Thomas easily could have been called for a personal foul on Mendoza that the referees overlooked.
At halftime, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti groused about “three personal fouls on one drive that were not called.”
UM was lucky that pass interference wasn’t called more often against O’Connor and OJ Frederique.
Miami had the fifth-most penalty yards in the country this season; Indiana had the 10th fewest. So it wasn’t surprising that the Hoosiers committed fewer penalties (5 for 38).
▪ Third-down failures. Ten days after going 11 for 19 on third downs against Mississippi, Miami opened 0 for 8 on third downs before converting its final three.
▪ Miami not getting the ball to Fletcher a bit more. He had 17 rushes for 112 yards (6.6 per carry), including the 57-yard TD, the second-longest in a college football title game. He became the first player to rush for 100 yards against Indiana this season.
He was Miami’s offensive MVP of this postseason, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
But he went a full hour of real time without a carry in the first half, and UM’s 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, combined with limited time remaining on Miami’s final drive, kept him from being the late factor that he otherwise could have been.
After the game, ESPN cameras caught Fletcher throwing a punch at Indiana’s Tyrique Tucker “but we couldn’t possibly know what was said” to trigger that, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt said. Fletcher was wearing a helmet; Tucker wasn’t.
Now let’s end with this: UM has nothing to hang its head about. It played a 16-0 team head-to-head, outgained them 342-317 and wildly exceeded any reasonable expectations after the Nov. 1 loss to SMU. This season was a smashing success, even though the ending was somber.
“It’s great to have [Miami] back; they’re one of the standard bearers in sports,” ESPN’s Rece Davis proclaimed on “SportsCenter” after the game.
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 12:16 AM.
Barry Jackson
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.
