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The Miami Hurricanes are headed to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming off a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest.
The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on January 19. But Miami will do it on their home court, with the national championship being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games.
The game started slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out of there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.
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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff semifinal at State Farm Stadium on January 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Images)
On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy went for a run, found a seam and ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.
But this game was back and forth for a while, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive when quarterback Carson Beck led a 15-play touchdown drive with a CharMar Brown score from four yards out.
The game was tied at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it to Keelan Marion and it was worth the risk. Marion grabbed a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.
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The third quarter was uneven for both teams as their opening drives each resulted in a missed field goal. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter of all time.
There was no absence of electric plays as it mattered most in the final 15 minutes as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.
But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible when he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard response drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.
Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on January 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had plenty of time to regain the lead. He did just that, finding stalwart tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithfully ballistic.
Ole Miss wanted to go by two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again and found a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.
It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least a 27-all tie. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was safe with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.
How fitting that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and simply sprinted for the stained paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.
But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had room to loft a pass into the end zone, and though it hit the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami win.
Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes throws the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on January 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
In the box, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passes and an interception. Marion was a key player in the win with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. led the way in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 yards for Miami.
For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three carries. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.
