Carson Beck score vaults No. 10 Miami past No. 6 Ole Miss in CFP semifinal

Field Level Media

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Carson Beck stood in the end zone with 18 seconds left, confetti beginning to fall, and tried to put into words what he had just done.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life,” the Miami quarterback told ESPN after his 3-yard touchdown run capped a stunning 31-27 comeback win over Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff semifinal Thursday night in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

Beck’s scramble finished a tense, 15-play, 75-yard drive and sent the Hurricanes to their first national championship game since 2002. Miami (13-2), the No. 10 seed, will host the CFP title game on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium against either Oregon or top-seeded Indiana.

The Hurricanes, who have won five national championships, are seeking their first since 2001.

The final minutes turned into a breathless exchange after a game that began as a defensive struggle. Ole Miss (13-2), the No. 6 seed, had taken a 27-24 lead with 3:11 remaining when quarterback Trinidad Chambliss hit Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown and then found Caleb Odom in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion.

That set the stage for Beck’s defining drive.

Beck, who finished 23 of 37 for 268 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, gathered his offense and delivered a message that will likely live in Miami lore.

“‘We got three minutes for the rest of our life,’” Beck said. “‘Don’t s**t else matter — sorry, I don’t mean to cuss, emotions are rolling — but nothing else matters. We got three minutes to go through this, and everything we worked for since January, everything we’ve been through, all the adversity that we faced all comes down to three minutes in the semifinals.’”

Eighteen plays later, Beck kept the ball himself and powered into the end zone to complete Miami’s third scoring drive of 13 or more plays.

“You play this game for moments like these,” Beck said. “You live for moments like these.”

The lead changed four times in the final seven minutes.

Miami had gone ahead 24-19 with 5:04 left when Malachi Toney caught a bubble screen, broke a tackle and raced 36 yards for a touchdown. Ole Miss answered, but not for the last time.

Earlier, Lucas Carneiro’s fourth field goal — a 21-yarder — had given the Rebels a 19-17 lead.

Ole Miss struck first in the game when Kewan Lacy burst through Miami’s defense for a 73-yard touchdown run after the Hurricanes had held the Rebels to minus-1 yard in the opening quarter. Lacy briefly left with a right hamstring issue but returned after halftime and finished with 103 yards on 11 carries.

Chambliss threw for 277 yards, completing 23 of 37 passes with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Miami overcame a sloppy night that included 10 penalties for 74 yards and four sacks allowed of Beck. The Hurricanes, who entered the game with 46 sacks on the season, managed just one sack of Chambliss.

As the celebration began, Miami coach Mario Cristobal praised his team’s resilience — and hinted there would be little time to savor it.

“I want to give a ton of credit to our players,” Cristobal told ESPN. “I can’t even tell you how many of our guys were sick, had the flu, had issues, and all they kept talking about was, ‘We’re gonna find a way.’

“We’ll enjoy this one,” he added, “but we’ve got to get focused on being ‘1-0’ one more time.”

For Beck and the Hurricanes, that chance is now one win away from history.