Miami outlasts Ole Miss 31-27 to advance to College Football Playoff national championship
The U is back. Seriously.
No. 10 Miami advanced to the national championship game with a 31-27 victory over No. 6 Ole Miss on Thursday, the Hurricanes’ third straight victory as a lower-ranked opponent in the College Football Playoff.
Miami mounted a massive drive to come back and win the game, driving 75 yards in 15 plays to score the go-ahead touchdown. Quarterback Carson Beck scored the game-winner from 3 yards out with 18 seconds left to send his team home for the season finale.
The Hurricanes will now face the winner of No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana for the national championship on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Ole Miss has been on a journey since the departure of head coach Lane Kiffin, who left the school on Nov. 30 to take the same position at LSU. Since then, the Rebels have won two playoff games — a 41-10 blowout victory over James Madison and a 39-34 comeback victory over No. 3 Georgia — before falling short against the Hurricanes.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who spent the first four years of his career at Division II Ferris State, played well, completing 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. But his drive into the end zone as time expired fell incomplete, ending the Rebels’ hopes of continuing their resilient run.
The Hurricanes controlled the game on the ground, rushing 51 times for 191 yards. Miami had the ball for 41 minutes and 22 seconds, compared to just 18 minutes and 38 seconds for Ole Miss.
Beck, who spent the first five years of his career at Georgia, completed 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards, two passing touchdowns and an interception, along with the game-winning run.
Miami has won three straight playoff games after being a controversial entrant in the first place. The Hurricanes were on the outside of the playoff picture until the final season standings, and since then, they’ve been on a roll.
Miami beat No. 7 Texas A&M 10-3 on the road in the first round, then knocked off defending champion No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 in the quarterfinals.
Miami’s national title appearance will be its first 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.
