College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl live updates: Miami beats Ole Miss
And when they get there, they’ll be competing for a national championship.
The No. 10 Hurricanes defeated the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels 31-27 in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Quarterback Carson Beck ran for a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left to cap a 15-play, 75-yard drive to seal the win. Beck overall completed 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns with one interception along with that game-winning rushing touchdown.
Defense holds Ole Miss to field goal
In what’s probably the best case scenario here, Miami’s defense holds Ole Miss to a field goal.
The Hurricanes are down 19-17 to the Rebels with seven minutes left.
The offense needs to put something together here to keep its hopes of playing for the national title alive.
Xavier Lucas ejected for targeting
Starting Miami cornerback Xavier Lucas has been ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter.
Should the Hurricanes hold on and win, Lucas will be out for the first half of the national championship.
Miami punts
The Hurricanes once again got past midfield, but Carson Beck was then sacked on back-to-back plays to force a Miami punt.
Ole Miss chips away
Canes defense again bends but doesn’t break. Lucas Carneiro goes out for 54-yard field goal attempt... hits the left upright but doinks in.
Miami’s lead is down to one, 17-16, with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
Carson Beck picked off
A 13-play drive that took up more than 7-and-a-half minutes and got to the Ole Miss 24 ends with a Carson Beck pass being tipped and intercepted.
Brutal.
Hurricanes catch a break
Ole Miss gets into Miami territory on a couple big pass plays.
UM then nearly got two interceptions but the defenders couldn’t keep hold of the ball.
Ole Miss’ ensuing 51-yard field goal attempt hit the upright.
It’s still 17-13 Miami over Ole Miss with 10:56 left in the third quarter.
Miami comes up empty to start second half
The Hurricanes moved well to start their first drive of the second half, but it all unraveled when a failed flea flicker attempt turned into an intentional grounding call.
Miami’s 51-yard field goal attempt missed.
So it’s still 17-13 Miami with 11:53 left in the third quarter.
Halftime thoughts
Miami leads Ole Miss 17-13 at the break. Should UM be up more considering the way they’ve played and how they’ve dominated time of possession (22:44-7:16)? Probably.
But you take the lead and build on it.
The Hurricanes have methodically moved the ball against the Rebels all game. Find a way to maintain that and avoid any more big plays, and Miami could (should?) be in good shape.
Massive field goal for Ole Miss
Rebels kicker Lucas Carneiro booms a 58-yard field goal to cut Miami’s lead to 17-13 with 11 seconds left in the first half.
That said, credit Miami’s defense for holding Ole Miss to the field goal as it made the final push.
Miami stopped
The Rebels force a three and out.
Ole Miss gets one more possession, starting at its 31, with 55 seconds left in the first half.
Another stop
Miami defense forces another three and out.
The offense has the ball with 1:19 left in the half and the chance to extend its lead before halftime.
Remember, the Hurricanes also get the ball to start the second half.
Big Carson Beck touchdown pass
Carson Beck hits Keelan Marion for a 52-yard touchdown pass to put Miami up 17-10 with 2:18 left in the first half.
Beck is 14/18 for 156 yards and a TD so far.
He had 103 and 138 passing yards in Miami’s first two playoff games.
Ole Miss ties it
Ole Miss moved down the field but the Canes got solid pressure on third down to force a Trinidad Chambliss incompletion.
Rebels hit the 42-yard field goal.
It’s a tie game, 10-10, with 4:38 left in the first half.
Methodical Miami touchdown drive
Touchdown Hurricanes. Marty Brown from 4 yards out to cap a 15-play, 75-yard drive over 7:41.
Miami’s two scoring drives: 28 plays over 14:40.
It’s 10-7 UM over Ole Miss with 7:09 left in the second quarter.
Ole Miss touchdown
Rebels star running back Kewan Lacy ripped off a 73-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to give Ole Miss a 7-3 lead.
It’s the longest run Miami has given up all season — in fact, the Hurricanes had not allowed a run over 40 yards all season.
Drive stalls
A pair of penalties — a hold on tight end Alex Bauman and a Markel Bell false start — stall out Miami’s second drive.
Hurricanes punt.
Big hit on Toney
Carson Beck nearly got Malachi Toney killed... and Toney still caught the ball up the middle for a 14-yard gain.
Ole Miss safety Nick Cull was called for targeting, but that was rescinded after review.
Toney, meanwhile, went straight to the medical tent.
Miami is in Ole Miss territory.
Miami defense three-and-out counter: 2
The Hurricanes defense is good, in case you didn’t know.
Ole Miss has a combined minus-3 yards through its first two drives.
Canes on the board first
The Hurricanes worked a long, methodical drive to get into the red zone before the drive fizzled out.
Carter Davis hits a 38-yard field goal. It’s 3-0 Miami over Ole Miss with 6:22 left in the first quarter.
That drive: 13 plays, 44 yards, 6:59 time of possession.
Early injury
Defensive tackle Ahmad Moten, who was sidelined for most of Miami’s quarterfinal against Ohio State, started on Thursday but went down with an injury after two plays.
Justin Scott started alongside Moten. Armondo Blount went in for the third down play. Miami forced a three and out.
Notable alumni
Plenty of former Canes players were on the sidelines pregame Thursday.
Among them: Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson, Edgerrin James, Ray Lewis, Greg Olsen, Jonathan Vilma, Gino Torretta and Cam Ward.
Final availability report
Hurricanes defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. a game-time decision. Cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. is good to go.
Cornerback Damari Brown and running back Jordan Lyle, meanwhile, are out.
Pregame Miami Hurricanes reading
Need to catch up before kickoff? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald’s coverage leading into the Fiesta Bowl.
-Miami one win from title game appearance. Only Ole Miss stands in the way
-‘It’s what The U is about’: Hurricanes embrace alumni support as playoff run continues
-How Hurricanes star Rueben Bain Jr., ‘a man of action,’ used his words to spark Miami
-Why Keionte Scott slept at UM’s practice facility in fall camp
-What has led to UM turnaround besides talent? Allow the players to tell you
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM.
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