Miami survives Ole Miss in wild 4th quarter at Fiesta Bowl, reaches national championship

GLENDALE — In a fourth quarter that included four lead changes and 25 total points scored, 10-seed Miami kept its unexpected run through the College Football Playoff alive with a 31-27 victory over Ole Miss at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.

Miami, the final at-large bid in the 12-team CFP, clinched a spot in the national championship game after quarterback Carson Beck scrambled for a game-winning, three-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left in the semifinal at State Farm Stadium.

CARSON BECK TAKES THE LEAD FOR THE CANES IN THE NICK OF TIME 😱 pic.twitter.com/5ZuJlwISkX

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 9, 2026

The Hurricanes will take on the winner of Friday’s Peach Bowl between Indiana and Oregon for a shot at its first national title since the 2001 season.

“I looked at the guys on the sideline and said, ‘Man, this is what we work for,'” Beck told his teammates before the final drive. “‘This is what we live for. This is why you play the game of football. This is why you come to the University of Miami, for moments like this, to play in these big games, to have these big moments. Are we gonna respond or are we not?'”

The win brought on a bit of redemption in this event. The last time Miami played in the Fiesta Bowl was its last national championship appearance, a double overtime loss to Ohio State in 2003.

Alumni from that squad and many other prominent Hurricanes like Ray Lewis, Calais Campbell and Michael Irvin were in Glendale to watch their alma mater take one step closer to returning to glory.

To add even more weight to the victory, the Hurricanes will play at home, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, for the title.

“We made a promise to each other that we were gonna get to this point,”safety Jakobe Thomas said. “It is the dream and it’s at home. … You know how we coming.”

How Miami pulled off the Fiesta Bowl win over Ole Miss

The Rebels’ admirable run on the heels of losing head coach Lane Kiffin to LSU before the CFP ended on the final play of the game. Ole Miss did not give in after Beck’s touchdown run.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed back-to-back passes to set the offense up at the Miami 35-yard line with six seconds remaining.

Chambliss heaved the ball into the end zone for De’Zhaun Stribling, and there was quite a bit of contact, but the ball fell incomplete. Miami’s sideline burst onto the field in celebration.

“Didn’t play real well on defense all night, but to be up in the fourth and have an opportunity to close it out is something we’ll all look back on and get better from,” head coach Pete Golding said.

“This is a group that created this legacy for this team and an expectation for this program that — what I told them in the locker room — that we’re pissed off in a semifinal game because we feel like we should have won the game because we didn’t play our best and we didn’t coach our best. Really proud of their effort and proud of the year they had.”

Chambliss had delivered the potential game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 remaining. After kicking four field goals since scoring its last touchdown on the first play of the second quarter — a 73-yard run by Kewan Lacy — Ole Miss had finally finished off a drive against the daunting Hurricanes defense to go up 27-24.

But there was plenty of time for Miami to take advantage of a defense that ended up spending nearly 42 minutes of game time on the field.

Beck completed six passes as the Hurricanes marched 75 yards, and Miami converted four third downs (11-for-19 for the game). Beck’s run was the second-latest go-ahead touchdown in regulation in a College Football Playoff game, according to ESPN.

Miami’s offense scored touchdowns on each of its final two drives, as freshman phenom Malachi Toney took a screen 36 yards to the house earlier in the fourth quarter.

Miami would have really kicked itself had it come up short, considering its 10 penalties and several dropped interceptions kept Ole Miss in striking distance.

Miami is the only FBS or NFL team in the last 20 years to:

hold the ball for 40:00+
amass 400+ yards of offense
convert 10+ third downs
convert multiple fourth downs
have 4 drives of 13+ plays

…all in the same game, regular season or postseason. pic.twitter.com/mKEhrM172O

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) January 9, 2026

Carson Beck vs. Trinidad Chambliss lives up to hype late in Fiesta Bowl

The quarterback play, especially in the fourth quarter, lived up to the billing.

Chambliss became a college football star during this playoff run as a player who won a Division-II championship a year ago, transferred to the SEC and led the Rebels to a massive win over Georgia in the CFP quarterfinal.

He finished the Fiesta Bowl 23-for-37 passing with 277 yards and a touchdown, throwing for 124 yards in the fourth quarter alone.

Beck also finished 23-for-37 but with 268 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, which was a tipped pass in Ole Miss territory during the third quarter.

Beck was named the Offensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl, while Thomas earned the Defensive MVP with five tackles and two passes defensed.

After winning two national championships as a backup at Georgia, Beck earned the chance to reach the peak as a starter.

“Almost exactly a year ago, I made a decision to come to this university,” Beck said. “What an unbelievable year. It was never easy. It was never perfect. There were a lot of ups and downs. There was a lot of adversity that not only I faced individually, but that we faced as a team. We really banded together and showed.”

"Are we gonna respond, or are we not?"

Miami QB Carson Beck shared his message to the offense before its game-winning touchdown drive at the Fiesta Bowl: pic.twitter.com/GnixqYKKIt

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) January 9, 2026

Miami proving to be formidable despite CFP doubts

Miami’s inclusion in the College Football Playoff at all was controversial. With a 10-2 regular season record, the Hurricanes got in despite not competing in the ACC title game and Notre Dame being ranked ahead throughout the previous CFP reveals. Notre Dame opted out of playing in any bowl game due to its outrage of the snub.

This is the second season with a 12-team playoff, and Miami head coach Mario Cristobal used the opportunity to argue what showcasing more teams means for the sport.

“I think it’s a reflection of how awesome this sport is, how teams have the opportunity to get better as the year goes on, how young players get to develop, veteran players have a chance to become leaders,” Cristobal said.

“All of a sudden, you have a different dynamic in the middle of a season and then down the stretch. It carries you into the playoffs. You got to get hot at the right time, and things could be pretty interesting in a hurry. Football is about settling it on the field, right? The more we can give teams an opportunity to do that, I think it makes the sport better.”

Miami won the Fiesta Bowl and made the national championship as a 10-seed.

Head coach Mario Cristobal makes his case for why the expanded College Football Playoff has been a welcome change. pic.twitter.com/J06eOy3fps

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) January 9, 2026

Miami snapped its Fiesta Bowl losing streak after entering the game 0-4 in the event.

The national championship will be played on Jan. 19. Oregon and Indiana will kick off at 5:30 p.m. MST on Friday night. 

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