The U is Officially Back: Hurricanes Survive Desert Thriller, Head Home for National Title Shot
It wasn't pretty, it wasn't penalty-free, but it was absolutely electric. And for the Miami Hurricanes, it was the culmination of a long, winding road that has finally led them back to the promised land.
For the first time since the glory days of the 2001 season, the Miami Hurricanes will play for a National Championship. The drought is over. The "is Miami back?" questions can finally be put to rest. Even better? They get to do it in their own backyard.
After a wild, heart-stopping 31-27 victory over the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl, Miami is packing its bags and heading home to Hard Rock Stadium for the title game on January 19.
The Drive That Defined the Season
When the Hurricanes trailed late in the fourth quarter, the doubts that have plagued the program for two decades could have easily crept back in. The offense had stalled in the third quarter, the defense was bending, and the momentum had swung entirely to the Rebels. Instead, Carson Beck stepped up and cemented his legacy in Coral Gables.
Beck orchestrated a masterclass 15-play, 75-yard drive with the season on the line. He was surgical when it mattered most, completing 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards on the night. But he didn’t beat the Rebels with his arm at the very end—he did it with his legs.
With just 18 seconds remaining on the clock, Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown to snatch the lead back for good. It was the capstone to an Offensive MVP performance. After the game, Beck described the feeling as being on "Cloud Nine," calling it a "gutsy game" from a team that simply refused to flinch in the face of adversity. This is a quarterback who won a title as a backup at Georgia, but now, sitting at 37-5 as a starter, he has the chance to lead his own team to glory.
Defensive Dominance and a Few Scares
Coming into this game, the narrative was about Miami's resurgence on defense under coordinator Corey Hetherman. And for the most part, they proved why.
Remember, this is a unit that held Texas A&M and the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes to a combined 17 points in the previous rounds. They started the Fiesta Bowl with that same intensity, completely walling up the Rebels early and holding them to minus-1 yard for a significant stretch.
However, it wasn't without its breakdowns. The Rebels gashed Miami’s normally stout defense early in the second quarter with a 73-yard touchdown run by Kewan Lacy. That was the longest run allowed by the Canes since 2018, a rare lapse in an otherwise gritty performance.
Despite that big play and 10 costly penalties that extended drives, the defense held firm when they had to. They bent, allowing Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro to drill four field goals—including boomers from 54 and 58 yards—but they didn't break enough to lose the game.
A Game of Offensive Haymakers
This was a heavyweight fight that saw both teams trade blows until the final bell. While Beck led the charge, he had plenty of help:
- Mark Fletcher Jr. was the undeniable engine of the offense. He pounded the rock for 133 yards on 22 carries, wearing down the Rebels' front and allowing Miami to dominate the time of possession.
- Keelan Marion provided the spark in the passing game, blowing the top off the defense with a massive 52-yard touchdown on a busted coverage just before halftime to help Miami take a 17-13 lead into the locker room.
- Freshman sensation Malachi Toney, who was already the hero against Texas A&M, turned a simple screen pass into a dazzling 36-yard score in the fourth quarter to briefly give Miami a 24-19 lead.
Chaos in the Fourth Quarter
The final quarter was pure adrenaline and chaos. After Toney’s score put Miami up, Ole Miss refused to go quietly. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (277 passing yards) marched his team right back down the field, finding Dae'Quan Wright for a 24-yard strike to reclaim the lead 27-24 with just over three minutes left.
That set the stage for Beck’s heroics. But even after Miami took the lead with seconds to go, it wasn't over until the final whistle. Chambliss managed to drive Ole Miss to the Miami 35-yard line with 6 seconds left, launching one final heave to the end zone.
It was Hurricanes defenders Ethan O’Connor and Zechariah Poyser who rose up to break up the pass, finally allowing Hurricanes fans to exhale. As linebacker Wesley Bissainthe said, it "felt like a dream," but the celebration on the field was very real.
Respect to the Rebels
You have to tip your cap to Ole Miss. This was a team that lost their head coach, Lane Kiffin, to LSU right before the playoffs. Led by interim coach Pete Golding, they didn't crumble. They rallied to their best season in school history.
They blew out Tulane, took down the mighty Georgia Bulldogs, and pushed Miami to the absolute brink. As Golding noted, they "sacrificed a lot" to get here, and despite the loss, they proved they belonged on the big stage.
My Prediction Check-In
Miami (13-2) has battled the "don't belong" narrative all year. They skipped the ACC title game, they were the last at-large team in, and they were the lower seed against Ole Miss. But if you've been following my picks here on the blog, you knew this result was coming.
My Prediction: Miami 34, Ole Miss 24
Actual Score: Miami 31, Ole Miss 27
I called for a 10-point Miami win, and while it ended up being a tighter 4-point nail-biter, the result is the same: The magic continues in South Florida.
Now, they sit one win away from banner number six. Whether they face top-ranked Indiana or the high-flying Oregon Ducks, the Hurricanes will have the ultimate home-field advantage at Hard Rock Stadium. Mario Cristobal said the objective was "1-0," and they got it done.
Get your tickets ready, folks. The Canes are coming home.