Miami used an enormous time of possession advantage and one timely scramble to dash Ole Miss’ hopes of playing for a national title in a 31-27 loss in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Hurricanes (13-2) had the ball for 41:22, which is the ultimate kryptonite for Ole Miss’ up-tempo offense. The Rebels (13-2) defense made it a valiant effort bearing the brunt of 51 rushes for 191 yards, but the back breaker of Miami going 11/19 on third down kept drives alive and the clock ticking. The two crucial fourth down conversions,
and the seemingly endless push from the Hurricane offensive line was just too much to overcome.
Looking at the statistics, Ole Miss shouldn’t have been in this game much less leading with less than a minute to go. It was big plays like Kewan Lacy’s 73-yard touchdown run to take an early 7-3 lead that made this a competitive game. Even when Carson Beck scampered for Miami’s game winning touchdown with 18 seconds left, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss engineered a 40-yard drive to give the Rebels one last chance for a miracle finish.
But the final pass from the signal caller fell to the turf on what looked like a possible pass interference, and Ole Miss’ dream hopes of playing for a national championship officially ended.
It is especially mindnumbing this sport of football and how quickly things can change. Last week, kicker Lucas Carneiro could do no wrong and set Sugar Bowl records for the longest field goals in the game’s history. This week one missed field goal that clanked off the post could have possibly changed the ultimate outcome of the game. But I cannot fault a kicker who made 90 damn percent of his field goals with how this game played out. Carneiro, please let us all buy you beers the rest of your life.
Now Ole Miss fans, we wait for a decision from the NCAA to see if Chambliss can play a sixth year in 2026 where he has publicly said he will play for the Rebels. I mean, if Beck can get seven years… approve the waiver already and let’s have some fun with one more year.
At the close of this season, I don’t think you can say this wasn’t anything but a magical year, however. It was all supposed to be more of a rebuilding year where the Rebels would maybe go 8-4 or something to that effect. This team believed different, and it made history and memories that will last a lifetime. First ever Ole Miss team to win 11 regular season games, first ever Ole Miss team to win 12 games period, and hell then 13 wins came with a Sugar Bowl championship.
Damn proud of the effort from the team and right now all I can think is how much fun it all was, how achingly close the team came to a chance for a title, and the bittersweet ending to this season. I hope there are more like it sooner and not later.
