Cotton Bowl Preview: vs. #8 Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 10-3, 6-3 Big Ten
Head Coach: James Franklin
Offensive Scheme: Multiple
Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5
Notable Results
at Iowa (8-5): W 38-36
at #1 Ohio State (13-0): L 26-21
vs. Rutgers (6-6): L 27-24
vs. #18 Nebraska (8-5): W 27-13
vs. #3 Oregon (10-3): L 17-13
vs. #5 USC (10-4): W 34-24
Team Leaders
Passing: Drew Allar (68 cmp%, 2831 yards, 35 TD, 2 INT, 166.1 passer rating)
Rushing: Nicholas Singleton (672 yards, 5.2 ypc, 5 TD)
Receiving: Kaden Saunders (60 receptions, 793 yards, 11 TD)
Blocking: 17 sacks allowed
Defense: Abdul Carter (46 tackles, 10 TFL, 15 sacks)
Last Meeting CFB 2001 Regular Season, Week 1 - Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
(1-0) Miami Hurricanes 33 - 7 Penn State Nittany Lions (0-1) ---QB Ken Dorsey: 20-27, 344 yds, 3 TD, INT ---HB Clinton Portis: 17 att, 164 yds ---QB Zack Mills: 12-24, 240 yds, TD, 2 INT ---WR Bryant Johnson: 6 rec, 149 yds, TD
Injuries WR Jeremiah Smith (season) DE Tyler Baron (season) DT Zane Durant (out) DT Amari Everett (out)
TCU finalizes football coach search, hires Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson
gofrogs.com | Football
TCU has found its new head football coach, hiring Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Dawson, 46, has been a key figure in Miami’s offensive resurgence, helping the Hurricanes achieve significant success with his innovative play-calling and quarterback development. His hiring at TCU marks a significant shift for the Horned Frogs as they look to build on their storied football tradition.
TCU Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati led the search for a new head coach, aiming to find a leader who could bring fresh energy and a dynamic offensive strategy to the program. Dawson emerged as the top candidate due to his impressive track record and ability to develop high-powered offenses.
“Shannon Dawson is a visionary coach with a deep understanding of the game,” Donati said. “His offensive acumen and ability to develop players make him the perfect fit for our program. We believe he will lead TCU to great success in the coming years.”
Dawson’s coaching career includes successful stints at Houston and Miami, where he consistently produced top-tier offenses. At Miami, he transformed the Hurricanes’ offense into one of the most potent units in college football, ranking highly in passing yards and scoring.
His ability to adapt and innovate has made him a sought-after coach in the college football landscape. Dawson has coached five different starting quarterbacks at Miami, achieving at least one win with four of them including most recently redshirt sophomore Emory Williams who has led the Hurricanes to an ACC championship in his first year as a starter, taking over the job midway through the year.
‣ CFB 2026 Cotton Bowl - AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas (10-3, 6-3 Big Ten)#8 Penn State Nittany Lions at #2 Miami Hurricanes (11-2, 6-2 ACC)PSU | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 MIA | 0 | 17 | 2 | 13 | 32
Miami pulls away against Penn State to secure program's first ever playoff win
The recruitment of Francis Mauigoa was a watershed moment for the Miami Hurricanes early in the Mario Cristobal era as a sure-fire, Samoan, five-star offensive tackle never went to Miami prior to Cristobal's arrival.
An unsung and often overlook portion of Miami's turnaround, Mauigoa was a focal point in Miami's 32-20 win over Penn State, shutting down All-American Abdul Carter and sealing the edge for Chris Johnson's backbreaking, 54-yard run in the fourth quarter to seal the program's first ever playoff win.
Carter, who entered the game with fifteen sacks, failed to register a quarterback hurry against Mauigoa.
Penn State briefly led in the fourth quarter after Drew Allar's 34-yard touchdown pass to Liam Clifford with nine minutes remaining to take the 20-19 lead but it was short lived. Emory Williams responded how he's always had this season with pinpoint accuracy and efficiency, completing three straight passes of nine, twelve and sixteen yards to three different receivers before Miami's running game took over to get the ball to the Penn State four-yard line where Williams found Eric Incoom for a four yard touchdown to retake the lead with 4:50 left.
Allar would have two more chances to put Penn State back up but on went three-and-out on his first try and then four-and-out on his second, throwing two incompletions on back to back plays to turn it over on downs with 1:50 remaining. Chris Johnson would follow the edge that Maugioa sealed for the 54-yard run and then Mark Fletcher would punch it in from six-yard out to seal the win. Scoring Summary Quarter 1 Kaden Saunders 5 Yd pass from Drew Allar (0:45)
Quarter 2 Jordan Lyle, 4 Yd run (8:58) James Rutter, 41 Yd FG (2:40) Elijah Arroyo 14 Yd pass from Emory Williams (0:32) Chase Meyer, 38 Yd FG (0:03)
Quarter 3 Team Safety (7:55)
Quarter 4 Chase Meyer, 46 Yd FG (11:56) Liam Clifford 65 Yd pass from Drew Allar (9:24) Eric Incoom 4 Yd pass from Emory Williams -- 2pt failed (4:46) Mark Fletcher Jr, 7 Yd run (1:29) Player Stats QB Drew Allar: 18-31, 242 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT, sacked 6 times QB Emory Williams: 21-28, 185 yds, 2 TD, INT, sacked twice
HB Nicholas Singleton: 16 att, 64 yds HB Mark Fletcher: 19 att, 96 yds, TD HB Chris Johnson: 6 att, 84 yds
They really had edge, Portis, gore, and mcgahee in a short span. I’m a low key Miami fan I won’t lie. They always have dudes I end up rooting for. Including the goat Andre Johnson
They really had edge, Portis, gore, and mcgahee in a short span. I’m a low key Miami fan I won’t lie. They always have dudes I end up rooting for. Including the goat Andre Johnson
We're all Canes fans, some of yall just don't know it yet
QB Ken Dorsey: 20-27, 344 yds, 3 TD, INT
QB Zack Mills: 12-24, 240 yds, TD, 2 INT
