Carson Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left, lifting No. 10 Miami to a dramatic 31-27 victory over No. 6 Ole Miss in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night. The win sends the Hurricanes to the CFP national championship game — and back to Hard Rock Stadium — with a chance to claim their first national title since 2001.
The Hurricanes (13-2), a controversial CFP selection in some corners after missing the ACC championship game, once again proved they belonged on college football’s biggest stage. After holding Texas A&M and reigning national champion Ohio State to a combined 17 points to reach the semifinals, Miami leaned on its transformed defense for three quarters in the desert, then survived a chaotic fourth quarter to finish the job.
Miami appeared to seize control late in the third quarter when Malachi Toney — the hero of the Hurricanes’ opening CFP win over Texas A&M — turned a simple screen pass into a 36-yard touchdown, giving Miami a 24-19 lead. But Ole Miss, playing with the edge of a program that had already defied expectations, wasn’t finished.
Trinidad Chambliss, a remarkable story himself just one year removed from winning a Division II national title at Ferris State, engineered a poised drive and capped it by finding Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown with 3:13 remaining. Suddenly, the Rebels were back in front, 27-24, and one play away from the national title game.
That’s when Beck took over. A former national champion as a backup at Georgia who has now authored two productive seasons as a starter, Beck showed every bit of that experience. Calm amid the chaos, he guided Miami methodically down the field, mixing short throws with timely scrambles before keeping the ball himself on the decisive play — darting into the end zone from 3 yards out with just 18 seconds left.
Now 37-5 as a starter, Beck gets one final shot at glory when Miami faces either top-ranked Indiana or No. 5 Oregon on Jan. 19 in the CFP championship game.
Ole Miss (13-2) still had a glimmer of hope. Chambliss completed two quick passes to move the Rebels to the Miami 35-yard line with six seconds remaining. But his final heave toward the end zone fell incomplete as time expired, bringing a historic Rebel season to a heartbreaking close.
The loss ended the best year in Ole Miss history — one made even more improbable after Lane Kiffin departed for LSU before the playoff. Rather than splinter, the Rebels seemed galvanized. With Pete Golding promoted from defensive coordinator and most of the staff staying intact, Ole Miss blew out Tulane to open the CFP and stunned Georgia in the quarterfinals.
Against Miami, the Rebels faced a different kind of storm.
The Hurricanes’ defense, revitalized in its first season under coordinator Corey Hetherman, set the tone early. Miami held Ole Miss to minus-1 yard through the first quarter, walling up a high-powered offense that had shredded opponents all season.
One play finally ignited the Rebel sideline and their rowdy fans. On the first snap of the second quarter, Kewan Lacy — the nation’s third-leading rusher — burst through the middle for a 73-yard touchdown, the longest run Miami’s defense had allowed since 2018.
Offensively, Miami remained patient. The Hurricanes leaned on a grinding approach, setting up CharMar Brown’s 4-yard touchdown run and a field goal. Just before halftime, Miami finally struck deep, capitalizing on a busted coverage as Beck found Keelan Marion for a 52-yard touchdown.
Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro’s night mirrored the Rebels’ roller-coaster performance. He drilled a 58-yard field goal just before halftime, saw a 51-yarder bounce off the left upright and in the third quarter, then clanged a 54-yarder off the same upright earlier. His fourth field goal, a 21-yarder, briefly gave Ole Miss the lead before the dramatic finish.
In the end, it was Miami’s poise — and Beck’s legs — that made the difference.
The Hurricanes are now one win away from rekindling the glory of 2001, heading home with momentum, belief, and a quarterback who has already shown he can deliver when the pressure is at its peak.
