Rapid Reaction: Miami outlasts Ole Miss in Fiesta Bowl classic to reach title game
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The Hurricanes just refused to put the Rebels away. So Ole Miss made plays when they were there to be made, chipped away at the deficit, and then leaned on its stars in the fourth quarter.
The result? A late 27-24 lead over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl with a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship on the line.
But Carson Beck got the last laugh. The man who was laughed out of Georgia, who ended a once-promising run with a devastating injury, now has the Hurricanes on the doorstep of their first national championship since 2001.
Beck wasn’t perfect. He had a turnover in the third quarter that squandered a scoring opportunity when Miami had a chance to tighten the screws on Ole Miss. But he delivered in the clutch. Trailing 27-24 with 3:13 to go, Beck took over at his own 25 and drove Miami for the game-winning touchdown.
A 3-yard scramble on second-and-goal won it for the Hurricanes, who battered the Rebels with the run all night.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was magical for Ole Miss, too, delivering in crunch time and leading a 6-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that quickly answered a Miami score and put the Rebels up with just over 3 minutes to play.
Miami led 17-10 late in the first half. After Lucas Carneiro, usually automatic from any spot on the field, missed a field goal off the upright in the third quarter that would have brought Ole Miss within 1, Miami had a chance to snatch momentum.
After 13 plays that milked more than 7 minutes off the clock and melted away the third quarter, Ole Miss came up with a game-altering play when Kam Franklin batted a pass from Beck at the line of scrimmage. The ball flopped high into the air, which allowed Kapena Gushiken enough time to get under it just before it hit the deck.
Ole Miss took over and raced down the field to set up a do-over for Carneiro, who doinked another kick but still converted and made it a 1-point game going into the fourth quarter.
Dropped picks and penalties haunted the Hurricanes in the fourth. Miami legitimately wasted 4 opportunities to intercept Chambliss passes throughout the game. Several were bobbled by Miami players who were all alone with the ball. Miami was also flagged 9 times for 67 yards, including 2 critical flags in the fourth.
But Ole Miss could not stop the Miami run game. Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for 133 yards, and CharMar Brown added 54 with a score. As a team, Miami gained 5 yards a carry, adjusted for sacks, and dominated time of possession. An 88-60 edge in snaps exhausted the Ole Miss defense late, which had to play a role in the theatrics of the game’s closing minutes.
Until the clock ticked under 7 to play, it was a field goal battle. Carneiro punched through his fourth field goal of the game — this one from 21 yards out — to put Ole Miss up 19-17. From there, both offenses kicked into overdrive.
Malachi Toney turned a short screen into a 36-yard touchdown with 5:04 to play that put Miami up 24-19.
Then Chambliss connected on passes of 21, 19, and 24 yards to lead Ole Miss to a go-ahead touchdown. The final throw went to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 to go and put Ole Miss back in front. A throw to Caleb Odom in the back of the endzone added 2 more points and put the Rebels up 27-24.
Chambliss ended the game with 237 yards and a touchdown through the air. He completed 21 of his 34 passes. As he did in the Sugar Bowl, he heated up in the second half and made play after play, standing in and delivering darts while getting drilled, scrambling to keep plays alive, and finding the open man.
Tailback Kewan Lacy ran for 103 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries despite injuring his hamstring in the first half.
Miami was undeniable, though. The Hurricanes ended the dream run for the Pete Golding-led Rebels and punched their ticket to the title game, where they will face the winner of Indiana-Oregon in their home stadium.
The national championship will be played on Monday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Miami 31, Ole Miss 27
Here’s the Fiesta Bowl Playoff semifinal box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
