The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State vs. Miami – Cotton Bowl Quarterfinal Big Game Breakdown

Date: December 30, 2025
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises & Bill Landis
Podcast: The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk (Blue Wire Network)

Episode Overview

Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis deliver an in-depth, fan-first, and playful breakdown of the Ohio State vs. Miami Hurricanes Cotton Bowl quarterfinal match-up. With both teams boasting elite defenses, the hosts dissect how the Buckeyes stack up against the resurgent Hurricanes and explore every key matchup, from the trenches to the skill positions. In true Bill and Doug fashion, the show is loaded with stats, history, film study insight, and memorable banter—plus their final score picks.

Main Themes

• Defensive Battle: Both teams are among college football’s fiercest defenses—Ohio State is #1 in the nation (8.2 ppg allowed), Miami #4 (13.0 ppg allowed).
• Trench Talk: Much of the national hype focuses on Miami’s size and physicality up front—Doug and Bill question and contextualize that narrative.
• Game Planning: What “hidden edges” could swing the game? Which teams’ skill players and play-calling are equipped to attack the other’s strengths?
• Final Picks: The hosts offer nuanced, low-scoring score predictions and explain their reasoning.
• Memorable Quotes & Moments: The duo deliver sharp wit and pointed analysis throughout.

Detailed Discussion & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Anticipating a Low-Scoring Clash

(00:36–01:38)

• Both agree: this doesn’t feel like a high-scoring shootout (unlike OSU-Georgia from a year ago).
  • Landis (00:55): “I just have a really hard time seeing this game get loose … in terms of it being high-scoring.”
  • Doug (01:33): “I don’t think there’s a 41-37 lurking inside this game.”
• Series history: OSU leads 3–2, last played in 2011.
• Vegas: OSU favored by 9.5, Over/Under at 41.5 points.

2. Miami’s Physical Rep: Fact vs. Hype

(04:06–10:45)

• Miami’s reputation as a massive, overpowering team in the trenches is examined in context.
• Detailed player-by-player breakdown of Miami’s offensive line:
  • Doug: “They have three gigantic offensive linemen … who were first team, second team, or third team, All-ACC. But I think as you then apply that … here’s the big, here’s the big guys.” (06:31)
  • Landis: “Miami’s not a particularly big football team. It is not a walk-off-the-bus…compared to, say, 2014 Alabama.” (07:54–08:11)
• Acknowledgment: Miami is physical, but it’s not a mismatch vs. Ohio State.
  • Landis (10:16): “They are a very physical team...but this is not a physical mismatch, I don’t think.”
• The “mouse and elephant” metaphor: how OSU’s varied defensive styles may counter Miami’s bigness.

3. Miami Offense vs. Ohio State Defense

Trenches & Run Game

(10:45–17:54)

• Miami’s OL: big, more notably right side (Maui Noah/Cooper), but it doesn’t “run people over” every snap.
  • Doug (11:28): “This isn’t the Joe Moore Award winning offensive line.”
  • Landis (14:53): “It’s like a mouse vs. an elephant… But I think maybe the mouse might win a time or two.”
• Key schematic matchups: possibility for OSU’s Arvell Reese to exploit left tackle Markel Bell (who can be slow to the edge).

Miami’s Offensive Identity: It’s Malachi Toney

(18:13–25:52)

• True freshman Malachi Toney is the entire offense:
  • Doug (18:32): “Matt Patricia was asked about him on Monday and he said Malachi Tony is the offense. And that sounds like a compliment… I’m not sure it is.”
  • Bill: Compares Toney’s role to Curtis Samuel 2016 at OSU (one great player, but not a healthy scheme).
  • Doug (23:24): “If Dantre Wilson got to Ohio State in 2013 and Ohio State was like, ‘He’s the offense, 112 targets,’ … that’s what we’re talking about.”
• Usage:
  • Leads nation among Power 4 in yards after catch (649).
  • Also throws trick passes: 4-for-7 as a QB since November.

QB Breakdown: Carson Beck

(28:00–34:19)

• Beck described as ultra-conservative:
  • Avg. depth of target = 7.3 yards (76th nationally).
  • 27% behind the LOS; favors quick check-downs.
  • Not a running threat; “maybe the worst scrambler in the Power 4” (31:26).
• Why blitz? Beck drops from 15th to 62nd QB in efficiency when blitzed (34:34).

Defensive Strategy: OSU’s Opportunity

(34:19–41:09)

• Expect more blitzes, creative pressure. Beck susceptible to mistakes when moved off his spot.
  • Doug (34:20): “There is opportunity for the Ohio State defense for Matt Patricia to design something different than what they’ve done the past several games.”

Final Notes on Miami Offense

• Mark Fletcher: solid, but not a game-changing back. Gap runs a concern, but less so than against some prior opponents.

4. Ohio State Offense vs. Miami Defense

Miami’s Defensive Front

(43:22–49:17)

• Edge rushers Ruben Bane & Akeem Mezador never come off the field, very effective as individuals.
  • Bill: “There will not be a meaningful snap where Ruben Bane and Akeem Mezador are off the field.” (43:54)
• Defensive approach: prefer letting them attack, not heavy on movement/twists; suits OSU (they struggle more with constant movement).
• Defensive Coordinator Corey Heatherman: doesn’t overcomplicate, lets athletes make plays.

OSU Offensive Line & Schematics

(51:38–65:19)

• Right guard (likely Gabe Van Sickle): stress point, not a fatal flaw. Compared to last year’s new starter Luke Montgomery.
  • Doug: “I think the weakness that you don’t anticipate is the weakness that kills you…the weakness that you plan for, you know, you plugged a hole in the boat…” (64:03)

What Game Plan Should OSU Use?

(53:53–60:40)

• Emphasize quick pass game, move the pocket, screen game to neutralize Miami’s pass rush.
  • Landis: “I envision a lot of RPO…short game stuff that people have been asking for. If Ohio State comes in sort of set on short, intermediate passing, they’ll be able to find some success.” (55:02–60:40)
  • Julian Sayin (OSU QB): excellent throwing on the move (“highest rated QB outside the pocket”), must avoid holding the ball as he did vs. Indiana.

Miami’s DBs and Personnel Wrinkles

• Nickel Keonte Scott: “Best DB Ohio State will play this year.” (67:23)
• Miami sometimes subs him out vs. 12 personnel (two tight ends); OSU should pounce if that happens.

OSU’s Offensive Skill Players

• Health of Jeremiah Smith & Carnell Tate (both 100%) could be the difference: “the separator here is that Ohio State...has the most explosive skill guys in the playoff.” (83:02)
• Emphasize YAC and perimeter blocking.

5. Special Teams & Other Factors

• Miami kicker (Carter Davis) struggled in last game (windy); OSU’s kicker Jaden Fielding also shaky. Don’t expect much reliance on field goals.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Doug, on Miami’s narrative (10:45): “If you have a certain impression of this game, I think we would like to walk you back two steps on that.”
• Bill, on Malachi Toney (22:47): “He has almost double what Jeremiah Smith [does after the catch]. That’s just how different it is.”
• Doug on Beck’s conservatism (29:21): “He is sort of like an old robot sent to Miami to this conference of lunatics...to calm everybody down. But then there’s nothing else there.”
• Doug on OSU’s defensive approach (34:20): “There is opportunity for Ohio State...for Matt Patricia to design something different...because frankly, they faced a bunch of scooty quarterbacks this year...This is a non-scoot situation.”
• Bill on Miami's edge defenders (43:44): “You don’t see a lot of defensive linemen at the Power 4 level playing as many snaps as these two guys do.”
• Doug on the offense (83:02): “I really think the separator here is that Ohio State, I think, has the most explosive skill guys in the playoff. And I’m not sure it’s a conversation.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Low-Scoring Game Preview: 00:36–01:38
• Miami’s Size/Narrative Debunked: 04:06–10:45
• Trenches & Miami OL vs. OSU DL: 10:45–17:54
• Malachi Toney/Curtis Samuel Analogy: 18:13–25:52
• Carson Beck Quarterback Analysis: 28:00–34:19
• OSU Defensive Opportunities/Blitzing: 34:19–41:09
• Miami DL/Edge Rushers: 43:22–49:17
• OSU OL/RG Concerns: 51:38–65:19
• Keonte Scott & 12 Personnel: 67:23–70:58
• Skill Talent/YAC: 83:02–84:45
• Final Score Predictions: 81:17–85:52

Final Picks & Score Predictions

• Doug: Ohio State 23–13 Miami
  • (83:02) “That kind of thing that we’ve seen Ohio State do, it’s what Ohio State, I think, does best...You need one big one. So I think I’d rather be on the Ohio State side.”
• Bill: Ohio State 28–14 Miami
  • (84:47) “I have a hard time seeing Miami score more than two touchdowns against Ohio State…I was leaning toward a Miami cover…but I’m going to go Ohio State covers.”

Closing Tone

The show is analytically rich, candidly skeptical of national narratives, and refreshingly fan-centered. Bill and Doug’s chemistry balances granular football talk with lighthearted, memorable exchanges—including riffing on New Year’s Eve traditions and OSU’s (over-)reliance on specific play calls in crunch time. Both hosts believe Ohio State is well-positioned tactically and talent-wise, especially given Miami’s limitations at quarterback and in offensive explosiveness.

Recommended segment for quick insights:

• Scheme & Personnel Keys: 51:38–65:19
• Final Predictions & Closing: 81:17–90:00

Summary by The Bill and Doug Show Summarizer, for those who want an incisive, entertaining, and comprehensive breakdown without having to listen to 90+ minutes of Buckeye ball talk.