No. 10 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 6 Ole Miss: What to know, how to watch Fiesta Bowl
The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (12-2) face the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (13-1) on Thursday in the Fiesta Bowl, a semifinal of the College Football Playoff. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Here is what you need to know about the matchup.
How can I watch the Miami Hurricanes vs. Ole Miss Rebels game?
The game will be televised on ESPN and available to stream on the ESPN app.
Who is favored in the Miami Hurricanes vs. Ole Miss Rebels game?
The Hurricanes are a three-and-a-half-point favorite against Ole Miss, according to Odds Shark as of Wednesday morning. The over/under is 52 points.
What is the history between the Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels?
Ole Miss is 2-1 all-time against Miami. However, these teams haven’t faced each other since 1951, a game the Hurricanes won 20-7. The other two meetings came in 1940 and 1936, both wins by the Rebels.
What were the expectations for the Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels entering the season?
Miami was voted to finish second to Clemson in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.
Ole Miss was voted to finish seventh in the 16-team Southeastern Conference.
How has the season unfolded for the Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels?
The Hurricanes swept through their nonconference schedule, with wins against the then-No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, then-No. 18 USF Bulls and the Florida Gators. Miami opened ACC play with a win at FSU before dropping two of its next three — losing to Louisville and SMU with a win against Stanford in between. The Hurricanes then won their final four games against Syracuse, NC State, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh in convincing fashion to secure their spot in the College Football Playoff. UM then beat Texas A&M 10-3 in the opening round and Ohio State 24-14 in the quarterfinals.
The Rebels went 11-1 in the regular season, with their lone blemish being a 43-35 loss to Georgia on Oct. 18. Ole Miss won its final five regular-season games to advance to the playoffs as an at-large team. The Rebels then beat No. 11-seed Tulane 41-10 in the first round and then avenged the loss to Georgia with a 39-34 win in the Sugar Bowl to reach the semifinal.
What are the keys for the Miami Hurricanes against the Ole Miss Rebels?
A more in-depth breakdown of five keys can be found here, but here’s the condensed version:
Establish the run: The Hurricanes have relied heavily on the ground game in their first two playoff games — a 10-3 first-round win over the Texas A&M Aggies and a 24-14 quarterfinal win against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl. In those two games, Miami ran for a combined 328 yards and two touchdowns on 65 carries (a 5.05 yards-per-carry average). They Canes will want more of the same against Ole Miss, which has allowed multiple rushing touchdowns in six of 14 games, ranks 65th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (146.07) and tied for 67th nationally in yards allowed per rush (4.19).
Win in the trenches: Miami’s defense has recorded 12 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in the wins over Texas A&M and Ohio State. Meanwhile, the offense has surrendered just 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.
The Hurricanes rank among the top 16 nationally according to Pro Football focus in pass rushing (second, 92.2 overall grade), pass blocking (first, 87.6 overall grade), run blocking (16th, 73.3 overall grade) and run defense (12th, 92.6 overall grade).
Handle Ole Miss’ pace: The Rebels have averaged 74.2 offensive plays per game this season. Only Baylor (76.75) and Virginia (74.3) ran more on a per-game basis this season among Power 4 conference teams. And Ole Miss runs that many plays despite have an average time of possession of 29:25.67 per game. That’s one play on average per 23.8 seconds.
Ball security: The Hurricanes have fumbled the ball four times in the past two games and lost two of them — one apiece by Malachi Toney (first round against Texas A&M) and Fletcher (quarterfinal against Ohio State). UM only had one lost fumble the entire regular season.
Win on third down: Miami is tied for 24th nationally in third-down conversion rate on offense (45.83%) and 11th in opponent third-down conversion rate on defense (31.35%). UM held Texas A&M and Ohio State to a combined 11 for 28 (39.2%) on third down in the playoffs.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, is 32nd in third-down conversion rate on offense (44.32%) and 31st on defense (35.11%). The Rebels, however, have gone just 8 for 24 (33.3%) on third downs so far in the playoffs.
Who are five Miami Hurricanes players to watch?
Mark Fletcher Jr.: The junior has 262 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown so far in the playoffs. He is 53 yards from 1,000 on the season.
CJ Daniels: While Miami hasn’t had to rely too much on its passing game, Daniels was a security blanket of sorts against Ohio State. He caught five passes for 49 yards against the Buckeyes.
Francis Mauigoa: The All-American right tackle will set the tone for Miami’s offensive line against Ole Miss.
Akheem Mesidor: The sixth-year senior leads Miami with 10.5 sacks, including 3.5 through two playoff games.
Keionte Scott: Miami’s do-it-all nickel cornerback had 10 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble against Texas A&M and then recorded a critical pick-six against Ohio State.
Who are five Ole Miss Rebels players to watch?
Trinidad Chambliss: He’s the latest dual-threat quarterback Miami will face this season — and arguably the best of the bunch. He has completed 66.4% of his passes for 3,660 yards and 21 touchdowns with just three interceptions while also rushing for 520 yards and another eight touchdowns.
Kewan Lacy: The sophomore running back has 1,464 rushing yards and is second nationally with 23 rushing touchdowns.
Will Echols: The defensive tackle has 11 sacks on the season and has been disruptive on the interior of Ole Miss’ defensive line.
TJ Dottery: The linebacker paces the Rebels with 87 tackles to go along with four-and-a-half tackles for loss.
Lucas Carniero: The kicker has made 27 of his 30 field goal attempts this season, including 11 of 13 from at least 40 yards out.
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