IU’s defense faces an interesting challenge on Monday night against Miami’s offense in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
The Hurricanes enter the season’s final game ranked 30th in the country with 31.6 points per game. Indiana’s defense is second in the nation at only 11.1 points per game allowed.
UM’s offense has committed 14 turnovers this season, tying for 34th in the country. The Hoosiers are tied for third in the nation with 29 takeaways on the year.
Here’s more on Miami’s offense and how it matches up against IU.
On the ground
The Hurricanes own a 90.3 team run grade on PFF, good for 20th in the country. Indiana has gone up against stronger rushing attacks twice this season, with Oregon at No. 2 — though the Ducks were handicapped by backfield injuries and illnesses in that matchup.
Miami is coming off its second-best rushing grade of the season in the Fiesta Bowl, with a 79.7 grade for the game.
The team’s production on the ground hasn’t always matched those grades, though. In that win over Ole Miss, UM rushed for less than four yards per carry — 191 yards on 51 carries. The Canes have gone over four YPC in three games out of eight since the start of November, including the CFP First Round against Texas A&M and the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State.
In the air
Miami owns a team passing grade of 77.4, ranking 31st in the nation. IU has faced stronger passing attacks in four games this season (Ohio State, Alabama, and Oregon, twice).
The Hurricanes grade out stronger in the run game than in the pass, but they’ve been more productive in the air. UM ranks 38th in the country this season with 254.6 passing yards per game, but the team sits 72nd in the nation with 154.6 rushing yards per game. Miami has run 83 more rushing plays than passing plays this season.
Miami’s passing game looked very different in the CFP first round and quarterfinals than it did in the semifinals. Texas A&M and Ohio State have stronger defenses than Ole Miss, so things came tougher for the Hurricanes in the first two games than they did at the Fiesta Bowl. Carson Beck threw for 103 yards against A&M (4.9 yards per attempt), 138 against OSU (5.3 YPA), and then 268 against Ole Miss (7.2 YPA).
It’s worth noting, per Bite-Sized Bison, that yards after catch has accounted for 60 percent of Miami’s passing yardage in the CFP. That illustrates both the threat level UM’s receivers can pose on short routes, along with the offense not being a major downfield threat.
Quarterback
Beck is in his sixth year of college, and his first with Miami. He backed up Stetson Bennett on Georgia’s national championship teams in 2021 and 2022, and he took over as the Bulldogs’ starter the next two years. The Jacksonville, Fla. native transferred to Miami in January 2025.
This is as experienced a quarterback as the Hoosiers will have seen this year. He earned Third Team All-ACC honors, and including his CFP performances, he’s averaged 238.7 passing yards per game with a 73.3 completion percentage. He’s thrown 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Beck doesn’t run much, with only 50 rushing yards on the season and two touchdowns. Of course, one of those touchdowns was the deciding score in the Fiesta Bowl that sent the Hurricanes to the title game.
The sixth-year has benefitted from strong offensive line play, as he’s faced pressure on only 83 drop-backs all season. He’s predictably struggled in those situations, and his numbers look better on the year when he’s kept clean, per PFF: 76.3 completion percentage, 215.2 yards per game, 26 touchdowns, eight interceptions.
Running backs
Junior Mark Fletcher is a Third Team All-ACC honoree who’s had a solid year for the Hurricanes. He rushed for 133 yards on 22 carries against Ole Miss, and he racked up a season-high 172 yards on 17 carries against Texas A&M in the CFP First Round. He’s up to 1,080 yards on 199 carries this season with 10 touchdowns. He’s also caught 16 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns, including one against Ohio State.
Redshirt sophomore CharMar Brown has played second fiddle to Fletcher, with 80 fewer carries and less efficient output, but he’s still scored seven rushing touchdowns on the year. Brown scored the game-sealing touchdown in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State.
Wide receivers
True freshman Malachi Toney has been a menace this season, as one of the top short-yardage weapons in the country. He has the third-highest PFF grade among receivers in short-yardage situations (passes from zero to nine yards). Toney was a First Team All-ACC selection, and he was named an All-American by PFF. On the season, he’s racked up 99 receptions for 1,089 yards and nine touchdowns. The freshman had a solid Fiesta Bowl against Ole Miss, with 81 yards on five catches with a touchdown.
The Hoosiers have faced some good slot receivers this year, but Toney might be the best they’ve seen. Devan Boykin has had a nice season, and he’s reached another gear in the CFP; IU will need him at his best in limiting Toney’s impact.
On the outside, redshirt seniors Keenan Marion and CJ Daniels have been productive for the Hurricanes. Marion is coming off one of his best games of the season against Ole Miss, with seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. The BYU transfer has only two touchdowns this season, but 740 yards on 56 receptions. Daniels, meanwhile, has seven touchdowns this year, but only one in the last five games. The LSU transfer missed three games midyear, but still posted 495 yards on 46 receptions.
Tight ends
Miami’s tight ends are not especially heavy focuses in the passing game, with the two primary tight ends at just three more combined receptions on the year than Indiana’s Riley Nowakowski and Holden Staes.
Senior Alex Bauman has 17 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown this year, while sophomore Elija Lofton has 23 receptions for 218 yards and three touchdowns. Bauman sees more game action than Lofton as the senior is used more often in blocking.
Offensive line
Miami’s offensive line has played really well this season.
The Hurricanes have the top PFF pass blocking grade in the country (87.3), and they rank 13th in run blocking (74.7). Indiana has played three teams with higher-rated run blocking units than Miami: Iowa (No. 2), Illinois (No. 5), and Ohio State (No. 8). UM earned a 91.1 pass blocking grade in its tight CFP First Round win over Texas A&M.
Right tackle Francis Mauigoa was a consensus All-American and First Team All-ACC pick this season. He owns the sixth-best pass blocking grade in the nation among tackles (86.4), and he’s Miami’s top-rated run-blocker (78.4). He’s allowed 14 pressures and two sacks this season.
Left tackle Markel Bell was named Third Team All-ACC, with a solid 82.0 pass block grade. He has not yet given up a sack this season.
Right guard Anez Cooper earned Second Team All-ACC honors; center James Brockermeyer was named an All-American by CBS Sports, along with a Third Team All-ACC selection. Brockermeyer is particularly strong in pass protection (85.9), and has allowed just 11 pressures this year without a sack.
Indiana’s defense may have advantages in other areas, but defensive coordinator Bryant Haines has his work cut out for him in successfully scheming up pressure against this UM front. If he’s able to dial it up and make Beck uncomfortable like he has to every other quarterback IU has seen this year, the Hoosiers should be in good shape.
No. 1 Indiana (15-0) faces No. 10 Miami (13-2) on Monday, Jan. 19 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at 7:30 p.m. ET, airing across ESPN’s networks.
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