Carson Beck scrambled for a three-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining, sending Miami to their first national championship game since 2001 after a 31-27 victory over Mississippi in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semi-final at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.
“We never flinched,” said Beck, who threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. “In the face of adversity, when we had to respond, we responded.” The 10th-ranked Hurricanes (13-2) were a controversial playoff pick but proved their worth with a gritty win over the sixth-seeded Rebels (13-2).
Miami’s defence, transformed under coordinator Corey Hetherman, held Ole Miss to minus-1 yard in the first quarter and stifled them for three quarters. However, the Rebels roared back in the fourth, taking the lead on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Trinidad Chambliss to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 left.
Beck, a former Georgia starter with a 37-5 record as a starter, kept his composure and led the Hurricanes on a game-winning drive. “He’s hungry, he’s driven, he’s a great human being,” said coach Mario Cristobal. Miami will face either Indiana or Oregon in the national title game on 19 January at Hard Rock Stadium.
Ole Miss, playing under interim coach Pete Golding after Lane Kiffin’s departure to LSU, pushed the Hurricanes to the brink. Chambliss completed two passes to reach the Miami 35 with six seconds left, but his final heave fell incomplete. The Rebels’ run included wins over Tulane and Georgia, marking the best season in school history.
