Hall of Fame Miami great Michael Irvin was among the many former players on hand at AT&T Stadium on Wednesday to watch the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Ohio State. Irvin took pleasure in seeing the No. 2-seeded Buckeyes fall to Miami, 24-14, on New Year’s Eve.
The win was special, as Ohio State entered the game as a national title favorite. However, the Buckeyes were eliminated early, leaving Irvin riding high in the aftermath of the upset.
Michael Irvin Fires Back at Ohio State Fans While Taking Aim at Kirk Herbstreit
Irvin publicly pushed back on ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit last month after Herbstreit misquoted one of his most famous lines from “The U” documentary. Irvin tweeted that what he actually told a young Santana Moss and the Miami team was: “Big time players make big time plays in big time games.”
The quote became legendary when Moss repeated a version of it during an on-field interview after Miami’s win over Florida State in 2000. Moss later said the mindset behind the line came from iconic Hurricanes figures such as Irvin and Rohan Marley.
Ahead of Miami’s win over Ohio State, Irvin took to X to say Herbstreit “got it wrong,” adding, “We will show you next week anyways!!!!!” After the Hurricanes eliminated Ohio State from the playoff, Irvin revisited his old post and retweeted it with another shot at Buckeyes fans.
“Hey, all of you @OhioStateFB fans I warned you when I told @KirkHerbstreit about my messing up my quote. Mike was RIGHT AGAIN!!! @CanesFootball,” Irvin tweeted.
Irvin has been a familiar presence on Miami’s sideline over the past few seasons. Following the win over Ohio State, he was seen sprinting from the end zone up the sideline, trying to hug anyone in sight as he celebrated with uncontainable energy.
Miami now advances to Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl against Ole Miss, which upset No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Irvin has already cautioned the Hurricanes about the challenge ahead.
“I was enjoying this game, Ole Miss and Georgia, but thinking about the next game as they get ready or as we get ready to play the winner, and Ole Miss is going to be a problem,” Irvin said on his YouTube channel.
“I’m telling you, it was talent all over the field at Ole Miss. Ole Miss has a good offense. They beat you with a lot of schemes. Ole Miss isn’t going to give us what Georgia would have. Ole Miss is gonna give us a tough one because Ole Miss is gonna score some points and Miami is gonna have to score some points.”
Irvin’s warning appears justified, as the Rebels are 2-0 in the postseason under Pete Golding after the blow of losing head coach Lane Kiffin to LSU at the end of the regular season. They are led by dual-threat quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who ranks fifth in PFSN’s College Football QB Impact, finished eighth in Heisman voting, and has yet to throw an interception in the playoffs.
