Carson Beck TD pass gives Hurricanes halftime Fiesta Bowl lead against Ole Miss
By David Wasson
Published:
The Hurricanes got a big play of their own late in the second quarter of the Fiesta Bowl, as Miami quarterback Carson Beck hit Keelan Marion on a 52-yard touchdown pass for a 17-13 lead against Ole Miss.
Beck, who entered Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal with 27 touchdown passes in his senior season, finished the first half with another crisp effort – completing 14-of-18 pass attempts for 156 yards.
For Marion, who entered the game against the Rebels second on the Hurricanes team with 49 receptions for 626 yards, it was just his second TD catch of the 2025-26 campaign. The senior notched a 61-yard scoring catch against Syracuse on Nov. 8 – which also served as his lone 100-yard receiving effort this season (3 catches for 113 yards).
Beck now has 86 touchdown passes in his five-year collegiate career – recording 58 at Georgia from 2021-24 before transferring to Miami after tearing a ligament in his elbow during the SEC Championship Game against Texas.
The Hurricanes rolled up 228 yards of offense in the game’s first 30 minutes against Ole Miss, while the Rebels countered with 145 yards – with 73 coming on a long first-quarter touchdown run by Kewan Lacy.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
