Hanging with the Miami Hurricanettes at the CFP Quarterfinal

The Miami Hurricanes defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, winning in dominating fashion with a final score of 24-14 that was not indicative of their control of the game from the opening kickoff on New Year’s Eve.

While Canes quarterback Carson Beck, tailback Mark Fletcher and the bone-crushing defense topped the national headlines, the university’s popular Miami Hurricanettes stole the show for those in attendance at AT&T Stadium, home of the five-time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys.

The Miami Hurricanettes are led by coach/choreographer Tess Guidry, a five-year member of the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and member of the LSU Golden Girls Dance Team. 

“I combined my LSU Golden Girl style with the Cowboys style, so it’s still a collegiate dance team,” Guidry said. “But I took influence and brought it to Miami along with the Miami-Latin flair that we get to add. The Hurricanettes definitely have a unique and identifiable style.”

The Miami Hurricanettes agenda for the Cotton Bowl included routines on the field pre-game and at halftime. Their halftime performance consisted of performing to three songs form Lady Gaga, with Bad Romance as their main feature.

According to Maya Bentley, senior and team captain of the Miami Hurricanettes, the game was only a part of the festivities around their time in Texas including the Battle of the Bands on the day prior to the Cotton Bowl on the west plaza of AT&T Stadium.

“The Battle of the Bands was amazing,” Bentley said. “We had our band vs. the Ohio State band, with spirit squads performing and that was electric and very fun. It was a great environment to set the scene for the whole week.”

Bentley also shared her thoughts on the grand venue that annually hosts the Cotton Bowl.

“It is super surreal being here, we have Tess leading us and showing us her home grounds,” Bentley continued. “She’s been giving us a tour and I’m kind of star struck and fangirling right now. This place is everything I thought it would be and more!”

Part of the aforementioned tour included visiting the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders locker room. 

“When I walked into the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders locker room, I got emotional and starting tearing up,” said Veronica Alvarez, rookie on the Hurricanettes. “You can just feel the presence of all of the girls and with the two DCCs in the room with us, it just inspired me so much and I know this is an experience I want to pursue after college.”

The Hurricanes’ Cotton Bowl win put them one step away from advancing to the College Football Playoff National Championship that will be contested on their home field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Their semi-final matchup in the Fiesta Bowl against Ole Miss at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ is the only thing standing in the way.

“It would be amazing to be able to experience that,” Alvarez said. “Especially as a freshman, it was be a great opportunity.”

Spoiler Alert: Miami made their way back home to take on the Indiana Hoosiers for the national title.