U is back. Seriously.
On Thursday, No. 10 Miami beat No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 to advance to the national championship game, giving the Hurricanes their third straight win against a lower-ranked opponent in the College Football Playoff.
Miami fought back and mounted a powerful drive to win the game, advancing 75 yards in 15 plays for the winning touchdown. Quarterback Carson Beck scored the game-winning goal from three yards out with 18 seconds left, sending his team home for the final game of the season.
The Hurricanes will play the winner of No. 5 Oregon State vs. No. 1 Indiana State for the national championship on January 19th at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“We didn’t flinch,” Beck said after the game. “In the face of adversity, when we had to respond, we responded.”
Ole Miss has been in the midst of a story since the departure of head coach Lane Kiffin, who left the school on Nov. 30 to take the same job at LSU. Since then, the Rebels have not been as good as the Hurricanes, but they did manage a 41-10 blowout win over James Madison and a 39-34 come-from-behind victory over No. 3 Georgia in two playoff games.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who spent the first four years of his career at Division II Ferris State University, played well, completing 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown. But his run into the end zone fell incomplete as time expired, ending any hope the Rebels would continue their resilient run.
“I’m so proud of this group. They never panicked and never flinched,” Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, who was promoted from defensive coordinator after Kiffin’s departure, said after the game. “This group has brought tradition to this team and created expectations for this program.”
The Hurricanes controlled the game on the ground, rushing 51 times for 191 yards. Miami had the ball for 41 minutes, 22 seconds, while Ole Miss only had 18 minutes, 38 seconds.
Beck, who played at the University of Georgia from 2020 to 2024 but never appeared in the school’s playoff games, completed 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards, two passing touchdowns, one interception, and the game-winning run.
Miami won three straight playoff games despite a controversial debut. The Hurricanes were out of the postseason bracket until the season’s final standings, but have continued to perform well since then.
Miami defeated No. 7 Texas A&M 10-3 on the road in the first round and defeated defending champion No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 in the quarterfinals.
It will be Miami’s first national title appearance since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, when the Hurricanes lost to the Buckeyes in overtime. They haven’t won a national championship since the 2001 season.
