Playoff Games, Fairly or Unfairly, Come Down to Quarterback Play

It could be anywhere from Pee-Wee to the professional league; playoffs have always been and will always be decided by quarterback play.

Think back to any playoff game you want to, and you can probably remember the winner and loser based on the quarterback's performance.

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Wednesday night in AT&T Stadium was no different. One quarterback played like a savvy veteran, the other played like a frantic freshman. One quarterback won the game; the other quarterback didn't.

Carson Beck didn't light the world on fire; as a matter of fact, he was far from special on the night. He finished the night 19/26 for 138 yards and a touchdown. He added 23 yards on the ground on 7 carries. He didn't turn the ball over at all and continually made great decisions to keep the chains moving and keep Miami on schedule.

On the other side, Julian Sayin put up some really nice stats, but was a large reason why the Buckeyes lost.

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We talked about it all week long. The only chance that the Miami Hurricanes have in this game is if the Buckeyes turn the football over.

Well, they had three turnovers on the night.

The first was the pick-6 on the screen pass that was equal parts a great play by the defensive back and a lazy play by Jeremiah Smith, who whiffed on the block. However, Sayin has to take the blame for it. Sayin added another interception on the final drive, but the game was already well out of reach at that point.

The third turnover was the missed field goal which we will get to much later.

Sayin finished the night 22/35 for 287 yards, a touchdown, and those two interceptions. The truth is that he was very good in the second half of the game. He came out of the locker room with his hand on fire and was making clutch throws all over the field.

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However, it didn't make up for his first-half sins. He was so bad in the first half, up until the final two-minute drive, where he used some tempo to find a bit of rhythm. He started the game 4-10 with the interception.

Not good enough out of the youngster, and he needs to use this night and this experience as one to grow from.

There were so many storylines in this game, but for me, the one that takes the cake is the tale of the quarterbacks. One was steady while the other faltered.

You can guess who was who.