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Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck gave it a valiant effort, but his team fell just short in the college football national championship against the Indiana Hoosiers.
Most of the criticism of Beck was for how he handled the loss in the immediate aftermath rather than his play on the field. Beck was seen running off the field without meeting his opponents for a handshake after the game.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck is sacked by Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Beck didn’t talk about why he just ran off the field. But he appeared rattled during Miami’s final drive of the game. He was hit hard by an Indiana defender after he threw a pass, prompting a tough pass call on the Hoosiers.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel suggested that Beck may have been injured during the play.
“The other factor in that game was Carson Beck taking a late hit from Indiana defensive tackle, what was it, two or three plays before that?” he said on the “College GameDay Podcast.” “And he didn’t look right. He didn’t look right just in the locker room. So I walked by him and I said, ‘Hey Carson, how are you feeling after that hit.’ And he said, ‘My ears are still ringing,’ and there were a couple of accentuations that you wouldn’t hear Rece Davis say in sentences, but you’d probably hear Dan (Wetzel) and I say pretty much every day there.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck passes against Indiana during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
“And he was obviously like his bell was rung, he was in pain. Obviously emotional in the aftermath of the loss. But you have to believe that hit had something to do with that performance. You get smashed like that illegally, you know. Now he wasn’t hit in the head, but he was obviously, it was like upper chest.”
He was 19-of-32 with 232 passing yards, a touchdown pass and the game-sealing touchdown.
Beck later reflected on his lone season with the Hurricanes, calling it the best year of his life.
“And not because we got to the national championship, not because we won a lot of football games or we made great plays or anything like that. For me, my whole life has changed,” he said.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck warms up before the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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“You know, 365 days ago I was just in a really dark place and I was trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a really hard thing. There was just a lot going on, mentally, physically, emotionally, to be able to fight and fight through the roller coaster that life is.”
