> At a Glance
> – Carson Beck scored a 3-yard TD with 18 seconds left to lift No. 10 Miami over No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal
> – The 13-2 Hurricanes will play for their first national championship since 2001 at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19
> – Trinidad Chambliss gave Ole Miss a late 27-24 lead before Beck’s 70-yard, game-winning drive
> – Why it matters: Miami silenced doubters who questioned its CFP berth and now hosts the title game with Beck, now 37-5 as a starter, under center
Miami’s roller-coaster season ends one win from glory after a frantic fourth quarter in Glendale.
How Miami Snatched Victory
The Hurricanes trailed 27-24 after Dae’Quan Wright’s 24-yard TD with 3:13 left. Beck responded with a nine-play, 70-yard march capped by his scramble to the pylon. Ole Miss reached the Miami 35 with six seconds left, but Chambliss’ Hail Mary fell incomplete.
- Beck: 268 yd, 2 TD, 1 INT
- Chambliss: 277 yd, 1 TD
- Malachi Toney: 36-yd screen-TD earlier in the fourth
From CFP Doubt to Desert Dominance
Miami entered 13-2 and didn’t win the ACC, yet held playoff foes Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss to three combined quarters of scoreless football before each made late charges. The defense, rebuilt under Corey Hetherman, limited the Rebels to minus-1 total yard in the first quarter.
Mario Cristobal, in year four with his alma mater, praised his quarterback:
> Mario Cristobal said:
> “He’s hungry, he’s driven … all he wants is to see his teammates have success.”
Ole Miss’ Bittersweet Run
Lane Kiffin’s departure to LSU on Dec. 8 elevated Pete Golding to head coach and the Rebels still produced the best season in school history.
| Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| Final record | 13-2 |
| Playoff wins | Tulane, Georgia |
| Key departure | Kiffin left before semifinal |
Pete Golding reflected:
> Pete Golding said:
> “I will just remember how they embraced each other … they’re going to talk about this for a long time.”
Key Takeaways
- Miami’s defense flipped its season narrative, holding three playoff opponents well below their season scoring averages
- Beck’s late heroics give him a title-game start in his home stadium, a fitting stage for the grad-transfer who already owns a ring from Georgia
- Ole Miss maximized a turbulent month, pushing the game to the final seconds despite preseason projections that never tabbed the Rebels as contenders
The Hurricanes now await top-ranked Indiana or No. 5 Oregon with a chance to reclaim the crown they last held 24 years ago.
