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The Miami Hurricanes head into the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and emerge with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest.
The Hurricanes will now wait for 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 its own turf, and the National Championship Game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium, the site of its 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 opening 13-play drive. But the fireworks came from 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. (Photos by Steve Limentani/ISI)
On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy went on a run, found a seam and went on a 73-yard touchdown run to take a 7-3 lead after the extra point.
But this game went back and forth for quite some time, including the Hurricanes’ breakthrough when quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown drive with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.
The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to feed it to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion grabbed a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami take a 17-13 lead at halftime.
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The third quarter was a strange one for both teams, as their first plays resulted in a missed field goal for each. 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 for good.
There was no shortage of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss drove his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.
But Malachi Toney’s speed changed the score for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a 36-yard screen to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard response drive for the Hurricanes just 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 in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on January 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald MartÃnez/Getty Images)
With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels offense had enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding reliable tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels ballistic.
Ole Miss wanted to bet two in hopes of taking a three-point lead, and Chambliss did it again, finding a wide-open Caleb Odom for the key score.
It’s up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive by at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck relied on his pass to Marion to get in range. Another pass to Marion made it first and goal, and it was clear that Miami was not trying to force overtime. They wanted to win everything.
How fitting it was that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and simply ran into the colored paint to score the game-winning goal 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 throw a pass into the end zone and, although it hit a teammate’s hand, it fell incomplete for Miami’s victory.
Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff semifinal in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on January 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
On the scoreboard, Beck was 23 of 37 for 268 yards with his two touchdown passes and one interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven receptions for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the running game with 133 rushing yards on 22 carries. Toney also had 81 yards receiving 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 grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was 5-of-77 passing, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.
