Carson Beck came to Miami to get the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff. His TD run with 18 seconds to go in the Fiesta Bowl put the team in the national championship game.
Beck isn’t known for his scrambling ability, but he rushed for the game-winning score in No. 10 Miami’s 31-27 win over No. 6 Ole Miss. It was Beck’s first rushing TD since he scored in Week 3 against South Florida. And it put Miami a win away from the school’s first title since the 2001 season.
“That’s the perfect example of a guy — he feels supported, he’s hungry, he’s driven, he’s a great human being and all he wants to do is he wants to see his teammates have success,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal told ESPN after the game. “And that’s what we witnessed tonight. And Carson Beck, I can’t say enough great things about him. Love the guy, absolutely awesome.”
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Ole Miss had just one timeout remaining after Beck’s TD and got to midfield with 13 seconds left. But since the score and extra point put Miami up four, the Rebels needed a TD, and Trinidad Chambliss’ Hail Mary throw from the 35-yard line fell incomplete.
Beck’s touchdown capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly three minutes. It happened after Ole Miss took a 27-24 lead on a 24-yard pass from Chambliss to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 to go.
Miami entered the College Football Playoff as the last team in the field. The Hurricanes controversially jumped Notre Dame in the final set of rankings for the last at-large berth in the field.
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The spot in the playoff wasn’t controversial because of Miami’s record. Or the Hurricanes’ win over Notre Dame in Week 1. It was an issue to many because the College Football Playoff committee waited until over a week after Miami and Notre Dame had played its last games of the season to move the Hurricanes over the Fighting Irish.
Had the committee moved Miami ahead of Notre Dame before the final week of the regular season, Miami’s inclusion into the playoff would have been far, far less of a talking point.
And the Hurricanes responded to that discussion by reeling off three straight wins. Miami took down Texas A&M 10-3 in the first round before beating defending national champion Ohio State by the score of 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl.
Beck will get the chance to start a national title game
Beck came to Miami after the 2024 season and a two-year run as Georgia’s starting quarterback. The class of 2020 recruit got an extra season of eligibility thanks to the NCAA’s COVID-19 rules during his freshman season and redshirted in 2021. After serving as Stetson Bennett’s backup in 2022, Beck took over as Georgia’s starter in 2023 and was a preseason Heisman favorite entering the 2024 season.
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His 2024 campaign was rougher than his first season as a starter. Beck completed a far smaller percentage of his passes and his interceptions doubled from six to 12. And he injured his right throwing elbow on a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half of the SEC title game.
That injury cost him the rest of the season and he entered the transfer portal as Gunner Stockton started Georgia’s College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame.
Despite being unable to throw during spring practice, Miami gave him a significant NIL deal to replace 2025 No. 1 NFL Draft pick Cam Ward at quarterback. While Beck hasn’t matched Ward’s stats in 2025, he’s been plenty good enough to get the Hurricanes to their first title game in more than 20 seasons.
Ole Miss’ dream title run ends in Arizona
A Rebels win would have made Lane Kiffin’s decision to go to LSU look especially foolish in the short term. Kiffin left Ole Miss at the end of the regular season to go to a school that ostensibly offered him a greater chance to win a national title. But as Kiffin was recruiting players for a team that lost to Houston in the Texas Bowl, new Ole Miss coach Pete Golding won two playoff games to get the Rebels within a win of playing for the school’s first national title since 1960.
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And boy, did Ole Miss almost get there.
Ole Miss averaged 6.6 yards per play to Miami’s 5.2 but the Rebels ran 28 fewer plays than the Hurricanes. Miami snapped the ball 88 times on Thursday night and held the ball for over 41 minutes.
And it wasn’t like Ole Miss turned the ball over a lot, either. The Rebels didn’t have a single turnover. Instead, Ole Miss was just 2-of-10 on third downs and was forced to throw the ball 39 times to just 21 run plays thanks to Kewan Lacy’s hamstring injury.
The Rebels’ star tailback appeared to injure his right hamstring on a 73-yard TD run at the start of the second quarter. He didn’t return to the game for the rest of the first half and was a decoy for much of the second half as he had a compression sleeve on his right leg.
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At one point, Ole Miss had Chambliss throw 19 straight passes as Lacy was no more than window dressing for the Miami defense. Lacy finished with 11 carries for 103 yards while Chambliss was 23-of-37 passing for 277 yards and that TD to Wright.
Live coverage is over65 updatesThu, January 8, 2026 at 8:30 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Trinidad Chambliss’ Hail Mary attempt falls incomplete and the Hurricanes will be playing for a national championship in Miami!
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 10:14 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
In the national title game, the Hurricanes will face the winner of Friday’s matchup between Oregon and Indiana.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 10:02 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
That will be the question looming over the next few weeks for the Rebels.
QB Trinidad Chambliss is seeking another year of eligibility to play one more year at Ole Miss, but the NCAA has yet to rule on it.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 9:55 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Pete Golding, who stepped into the head coach role after Lane Kiffin’s departure, talked about what he’ll remember from the most successful Ole Miss season in decades.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 9:40 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Former Miami great Michael Irvin has been a star in these playoffs. His reaction to Miami’s winning touchdown did not disappoint.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 9:18 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Under the ACC’s new revenue distribution system, Miami gets to keep the entire $20 million conference payout for reaching the CFP title game.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 9:15 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Miami receiver leapt into the crowd and took a selfie with fans after the big win.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 9:07 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Miami QB is loving life after leading his Canes to the championship game:
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 9:00 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Hurricanes till play in next week’s national title game at their home stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, in South Florida.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:53 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
“Whoever counted us out, they’re never part of the equation. They never will be.”
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:48 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
From Ross Dellenger, on the ground in Glendale:
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:46 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
There was plenty of hand-fighting in the end zone that’ll be talked about for days.
“We have what we call mutual combat. Both players are getting their hands on each other. We’re going to leave that alone 99% of the time. I want to see one of them get a true, true advantage.” – Bill LeMonnier, ESPN rules analyst
Here’s a close look at the Hail Mary battle in the end zone:
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:43 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:27 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Rebels aren’t done yet. They’ve worked their way down to the Miami 35-yard line and will have a shot at the end zone.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:23 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
TOUCHDOWN CARSON BECK!
The Canes QB scrambled out of the pocket and had a wide-open lane on the left side for a 3-yard TD.
Miami 31, Ole Miss 27 | 18 seconds left
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:18 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Carson Beck just found Keelan Marion over the middle for a 17-yarder completion and the Canes are close to the end zone now.
There’s just over 30 seconds left.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:13 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Canes are on the edge of field goal range with less than 2 minutes left after a facemask penalty on Ole Miss.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:10 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
We’re in the final 2 minutes of the Fiesta Bowl and the Hurricanes are facing a third-and-8 at their own 39-yard line.
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:05 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Rebels have retaken the lead on a 24-yard pass from Trinidad Chambliss to Dae’Quan Wright. Wright was wide open on a corner route and Ole Miss took full advantage.
The two-point conversion is good and we have a game in Glendale!
Ole Miss 27, Miami 24
Thu, January 8, 2026 at 8:03 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Rebels are nearing the red zone after a controversial pass interference call and a 19-yard scramble by Trinidad Chambliss.
There’s just over 3 minutes left in the game.