MIAMI — The Miami Hurricanes desperately need to stop.
In the final seconds of last weekend’s College Football Playoff first-round game against Miami, the Aggies were sprinting toward the end zone, now just five yards away from tying the score.
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Enter Bryce Fitzgerald.
The freshman safety intercepted Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed earlier in the game. Fitzgerald watched Aggie tight end Nate Boerkircher work his way around the linebackers and saw Reid trying to throw the game-tying pass to the veteran pass catcher. Fitzgerald stepped in front of the tight end and caught the pass, ensuring the Hurricanes’ victory. The visiting team celebrates on the sideline. Unable to contain himself, safeties coach Will Harris ran behind the end zone and jumped on the safety’s back.
“I was just freaking out, running down the sideline, sprinting, (towards) him,” quarterback Carson Baker said.
The game-defining pick was just the latest for Fitzgerald. The freshman safety has six interceptions this season, the most at Michigan since safety Kam Kinchens had six in 2022, and has grown into a passing threat in Miami’s secondary.
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“The ball found his hands,” defensive back Keonte Scott said.
Fitzgerald looked like a veteran from the high school, but he was actually the last freshman to arrive on campus. While the rest of the freshman class arrived in time for spring football games, Fitzgerald didn’t enroll until the summer.
But the former Miami-Columbus star threw himself into the job and was on the field in no time. Fitzgerald made his collegiate debut in Week 1 against Notre Dame and played 20 or more carries in three of the next four games. He caught his first career pass against Bethune-Cookman and caught two more passes against USF and Florida State.
“Obviously, (he) loves football, (he’s) dedicated, hard-working,” defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. “He’s been on the field, competing in practice. I think I said this earlier in the year: (In) practice, the ball always finds him. And it’s the same thing in games. Fall camp, preseason, I thought he made a lot of plays in those situations and then got the opportunity to play, and that happens over and over again.”
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When defensive back Keonte Scott was injured, Fitzgerald took on a larger role, starting Miami’s final three games of the season. He also started in the win over the Aggies. This moment wasn’t too important to him.
“He’s been a student of the game,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Monday on WQAM’s “The Joe Ross Show.” “He’s been working hard, but … as the games and the season have gone on, (he’s) gotten better and better. (He’s) more comfortable in the scheme, and … he doesn’t look or play like a freshman.”
Fitzgerald’s six interceptions ranked second in the nation and first among Power 4 backs. His 92-point defensive grade against Texas A&M was his best performance in a game this year according to Pro Football Focus. Fitzgerald’s defensive rating of 81.1 ranks second nationally among freshman safeties with more than 200 snaps this season.
Fitzgerald and the Miami secondary have a tough task next week; they must deal with Ohio State’s dominant passing game in the Cotton Bowl. But if it weren’t for Fitzgerald’s game-saving interception, UM might not have had a chance against the Buckeyes.
“When you make a game like that at such a young age, we’re very (excited) for him and very excited for him,” Scott said. “We’re excited to see this continue.”
