Carson Beck TD run sends Miami to CFP National Championship
By David Wasson
Published:
A month after controversially earning the final at-large spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, the Miami Hurricanes are now 60 minutes away from winning the entire thing.
The 10th-seeded Hurricanes (13-2) downed 6-seed Ole Miss 31-27 in a thrilling Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night, winning their third straight Playoff game and punching their ticket to the CFP title game Jan. 19 on their home field – Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Miami will play the winner of Friday’s Peach Bowl between top-seeded Indiana and third-seeded Oregon. The Hurricanes began their CFP journey with a bruising 10-3 victory at 7-seed Texas A&M, then downed defending national champion and 2-seed Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl.
Miami trailed 27-24 with 3:13 remaining, but senior quarterback Carson Beck calmly navigated the Hurricanes on a 75-yard drive to win it – with Beck scrambling for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds to go.
Miami’s return to the pinnacle of college football comes after 24 years consigned to the edges of the sport’s relevance. The Hurricanes won national championships in 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001 – but had been passed in recent years in the ACC by programs like Florida State and Clemson.
The Hurricanes also won their first-ever Fiesta Bowl, having gone 0-4 in the Arizona desert in history. That includes the 1987 national title loss to Penn State and a controversial 2003 BCS title game loss to Ohio State.
Ole Miss (13-2) sees its fairy-tale season end short of the CFP title game in a season that was filled with drama – as the Rebels endured losing coach Lane Kiffin to LSU while awaiting their first CFP berth in program history.
Miami trailed 19-17 after Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro connected on a 21-yard field goal with 7:00 to play. But the Hurricanes answered by engineering a 4-play, 75-yard drive – capped by electrifying freshman Malachi Toney bolting for a 36-yard touchdown reception with 5:04 remaining.
The Rebels stormed right back, as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss hit receiver Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown with 3:13 remaining. Caleb Odom then caught the 2-point conversion pass for a 27-24 advantage.
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.
