> At a Glance
> – Carson Beck’s 3-yard touchdown scramble with 18 seconds left lifted Miami over Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal.
> – The 10th-seeded Hurricanes (13-2) advance to the CFP championship game on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium, their first title appearance since 2001.
> – Ole Miss (13-2) led late after Trinidad Chambliss’ 24-yard TD pass, but Miami drove 75 yards for the final score.
> – Why it matters: Miami silenced doubters who questioned their playoff worthiness and now host college football’s biggest stage.
Miami’s path to the national-title game ran through the desert, featured a fourth-quarter swing and ended with Carson Beck sprinting into the end zone as the clock struck 18 seconds.
The Decisive Drive
Trailing 27-24, Beck marched the Hurricanes 75 yards in 11 plays, capping the series with his own 3-yard touchdown scramble. Earlier, Malachi Toney had spun a screen pass into a 36-yard go-ahead score that made it 24-19.
Beck finished 22-of-34 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, adding the game-winning rush. He improved to 37-5 as a collegiate starter and will now face either top-ranked Indiana or No. 5 Oregon at his current home stadium.
Head coach Mario Cristobal praised his quarterback:
> “He’s hungry, he’s driven, he’s a great human being, and all he wants is to see his teammates have success.”
Rebels’ Bittersweet Exit
Ole Miss, playing without departed coach Lane Kiffin, still authored the best season in school history. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss-owner of a Division II crown at Ferris State-threw for 277 yards and a touchdown, briefly giving his team a 27-24 lead on a 24-yard strike to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 left.
Interim coach Pete Golding reflected on the group’s resilience:
> “I will just remember how they embraced each other… They’re going to be talking about this for a long time.”
| Key Moments | Time Left | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Kewan Lacy 73-yd TD run | 14:55 Q2 | 7-3 UM |
| Beck 52-yd TD to Marion | 0:28 Q2 | 17-10 UM |
| Chambliss 24-yd TD pass | 3:13 Q4 | 27-24 UM |
| Beck 3-yd TD scramble | 0:18 Q4 | 31-27 UM |
Defense Delivers
Miami entered the playoff under scrutiny after missing the ACC title game, then held Texas A&M and defending champion Ohio State to 17 combined points. Against Ole Miss, the Hurricanes limited the Rebels to minus-1 total yard in the first quarter before Lacy’s long burst.
Kicker Lucas Caneiro kept Ole Miss within reach with field goals of 58, 54 and 21 yards, but the defense could not corral Beck on the final possession.
Key Takeaways
- Miami earns its first national-title berth since 2001 and will play the final on its home turf.
- Carson Beck, a former Georgia backup, has now engineered late heroics in back-to-back playoff rounds.
- Ole Miss’ season ends one game shy of the title bout, yet sets program records for wins under extraordinary circumstances.
The Hurricanes return to South Florida with a shot at history; the Rebels head home proud of a breakthrough campaign that almost reached the sport’s summit.
