The magical season No. 6 Ole Miss has had is over after a late, heart-breaking loss to No. 10 Miami in a College Football Playoff semifinal game, 31-27.
The Rebels led just once in the Fiesta Bowl, a 27-24 lead in the fourth quarter with a little more than three minutes left in the game. Miami responded with a long drive of its own that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Carson Beck and only 18 seconds left on the clock.
Needing a touchdown, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was able to put his team in position to pull of a miracle. He completed two quick passes for 40 yards that put Ole Miss at the Hurricanes 35-yard line and six seconds left.
On the game’s final drive, Chambliss threw a pass into the end zone to De’Zauhn Stribling who was in a tugging contest with Miami defender. Stribling still got a hand on the pass, but couldn’t make what would be one of the greatest catches in football history.
Considering how the game unfolded before then, Ole Miss shouldn’t have been in a position to win the game with a miracle completion. The Hurricanes felt like the dominant team for much of the game. Look at these important stats for Ole Miss at the start of the fourth quarter:
- 0-for-7 on third downs;
- 11:10 time of possession;
- 227 total yards of offense (Miami had 337);
- Gave up more than 100 rushing yards to Marcus Fletcher Jr.; and
- Lacy had three carries, all in the first half because of an injury.
But the Hurricanes couldn’t dominate the most important stat, the one on the scoreboard.
Miami’s offense did what it wanted to, running the ball effectively and dominating the time of possession. The Hurricanes did that well in the first half with multiple drives lasting 13 or more plays, 50-plus yards and over five minutes of game time.
Ole Miss punted on its first two drives and if not for Lacy’s 73-yard touchdown run would’ve been in danger of ending the first half with negative total yards.
How the Rebels stayed close enough to Miami to have a lead in the game’s final minute easy to understand:
- Trinidad Chambliss dissected the Miami secondary like a brain surgeon;
- Miami was generous with some free yards via penalties, including on the drive that ended with Ole Miss taking its first lead of the game and on the Rebel’s go-ahead-for-good drive on third down; and
- The Hurricanes had to settle for field goals – and didn’t make them all.
The pass interference penalty on third-and-8 late in the fourth quarter will end up being the most scrutinized, but penalties late in the first half helped keep the Rebels close.
In the end, Miami was penalized 10 times for 74 yards, converted just four third down attempts before it’s game-winning drive, had the game’s only turnover and was sacked three times
Final Thought
A lot will be dissected about this loss to Miami in the coming days. For now, let’s appreciated what this Ole Miss team accomplished.
In a year it wasn’t expected to contend for a CFP berth it did just that and got within 20 seconds of advancing to a national championship game. In doing so, the Rebels showed you-know-who he could’ve won and that they’ll be a championship contender in 2026.
