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PAGE 5B January 2026
Miami to play Indiana in College Football National Championship Canes had trailed in a game since the regular season finale at Pittsburgh.
No. 10 Miami defeated No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 on Thursday, January 9, 2026 in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ. It was the Canes’ first Fiesta Bowl win in five tries. The Canes improved to 13-2, while the Rebels concluded their season at 13-2. After Ole Miss had rallied to take a 27-24 lead, quarterback Carson Beck led the Canes on a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capping it with a three-yard rushing score with 18 seconds remaining. The game featured four lead changes in the final seven minutes. Beck, the Fiesta Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player, completed 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Running back Mark Fletcher, Jr., continued his remarkable postseason with 133 yards on 22 carries, eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. Fellow back Marty Brown rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Keelan Marion hauled in a team-high seven passes for 114 yards, and Malachi Toney did more Malachi Toney things, catching five passes for 81 yards and another acrobatic score. Miami outgained Ole Miss 459-398 in total yards, ran 88 plays and held the ball for more than 41 minutes. The Canes converted 11 of 19 third-down opportunities. Safety Jakobe Thomas, the Fiesta Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player, paced the Canes with five tackles and two passes defended, while linebacker Mohamed Toure posted four tackles and a sack. Miami held the Rebels to just 2 of 10 on third down. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown. Running back Kewan Lacy carried 11 times for 103 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown. Tight end Dae’Quan Wright caught three passes for 64 yards and a score. Linebacker TJ Dottery paced the Rebels with 11 tackles. Defensive ends Kam Franklin and Suntarine Perkins each recorded seven stops. The Rebels took the ball to open the game and Miami’s defense forced a quick three-and-out. Miami took over at its own 41 and moved the chains before facing a 4th and 2 at Ole Miss 43. Fletcher fought his way for three yards to keep the drive alive. Beck connected with Brown to pick up another first down, but Franklin stuffed Toney on a 3rd and 3 run. Carter Davis booted a 38-yard field goal to give the Canes a 3-0 lead. The Rebels went three-an-out again but two penalties thwarted Miami’s ensuing drive and the Canes punted the ball back to Ole Miss, who took over at its 20 as the first quarter came to a close. On the first play of the second quarter, Lacy burst through a hole in the left side and raced 73 yards to the end zone to give the Rebels a 7-3 lead. It was the first time this season Miami’s defense had surrendered a touchdown of 40 yards or more and the first time the
20-yard line. Another personal foul penalty on defensive tackle David Blay gave the Rebels first and goal from the eight-yard line. But Miami’s defense held and Carneiro’s fourth field goal – this one from 21 yards – gave Ole Miss a 19-17 lead with seven minutes left in the game. The Canes drew a pass interference penalty on the next snap. Beck completed an eight-yard pass to wide receiver CJ Daniels, and Fletcher raced around the right side for 17 yards to the Rebels 35. Two plays later, Beck threw quick out to Toney and the freshman danced his way through the secondary 36 yards to the end zone. Miami had a 24-19 lead. Chambliss found Wright for 21 yards and a pass interference call moved the ball to the Miami 45. Chambliss scrambled for 19 yards and two plays later found Wright in the end zone from 24 yards out. The Rebels converted on the ensuing two-point play and had a 27-24 lead with 3:13 remaining. The Rebels were flagged for a face mask to help Miami convert on third down and move the ball past midfield. On 3rd and 6 from the 42, Beck connected with Daniels for seven yards. Three plays later Beck found Marion across the middle for 17 yards and hit him again for 11 yards down to the eight-yard line. The Rebels called timeout with 31 seconds on the clock. Brown rushed for five yards and the Canes called their second timeout. Beck dropped back, surveyed the scene and saw an opening on the left side. He took it and scampered into the end zone. It capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive and the score was 31-27 Miami with just 18 seconds remaining. Chambliss completed two long passes to get the ball to the Canes 35 but his pass on the final play fell incomplete in the end zone. With the win, Miami advanced to the College Football National Championship game, which ironically will be a home game for the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami is set to matchup against Top Ranked Indiana at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 19, 2026. Indiana reached the National Championship game by defeating the Oregon Ducks 56-22 in the Peach Bowl on Friday, January 9, 2026 in Atlanta, GA. Hoosier's quarterback and Heisman Trophy Winner Fernando Mendoza had 177 yards and five touchdowns in the semifinal victory. Overall, he had 205 total yards, and he gained 28 yards on the ground against the Ducks. The performance earned him the Peach Bowl MVP Trophy. Overall, Indiana had 362 yards of offense, compared to 378 yards for Oregon. The difference was the turnover margin, as the Ducks fumbled two times and quarterback Dante Moore had one interception. He was also sacked twice by the Hoosier's defense. Indiana had zero turnovers. Moore finished the game with 285 yards passing and two touchdowns.
Beck moved the Canes past midfield and on 3rd and 7 from the Rebels 39 he hit tight end Elijah Lofton across the middle for 15 yards. Three plays later Toney pulled a Houdini act to take a short pass and gain eight yards to the Ole Miss 13. Fletcher carried three times to set up first and goal at the two-yard line. Brown lost yardage on the initial snap but then bulled his way into the end zone from four yards out. The 15-play, 75-yard drive took 7:41 off the clock and gave the Canes a 10-7 lead. Miami was flagged for roughing the passer, and then Chambliss completed a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Harrison Wallace. But the Canes’ defense steadied from there and Lucas Carneiro kicked a 42-yard field goal to tie the game at 10. Beck went back to work, connecting with Marion for 14 yards to convert a third down to the Miami 44. Two plays later he looked deep for Marion, who cradled the pass and glided into the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown. The Canes had a seven-point lead with 2:18 left in the first half. The teams traded punts, and the Rebels reached the Miami 40 with 16 seconds remaining. Carneiro drilled a 58-yarder, cutting the Canes’ lead to 17-13 heading into the locker room. Beck hit Toney for 19 yards to kickstart Miami’s opening drive of the second half, and Fletcher followed with a 19-yard run. But an intentional grounding call on Beck stalled the drive and Davis missed a 51-yard field goal wide right. Ole Miss took over and Chambliss connected with wide receivers De’Zhaun Stribling and Cayden Lee on consecutive passes for 33 yards to the Miami 34. But three incompletions followed as Carneiro hit the right upright from 51 yards out. Beck picked up a first down with his feet, and later scrambled 11 yards to set up 4th and 2 from the Rebels 31. Brown picked up the first down with a nine-yard run to move the chains again. But three plays later, Franklin tipped Beck’s pass at the line of scrimmage and safety Kapena Gushiken picked it off. The Rebels got the ball back at their 15. Chambliss marched Ole Miss down to the Miami 37, and Carneiro was summoned again. This time he banked in a 54-yard field goal off the left upright and the Canes’ lead was down to a point. Fletcher opened the next drive with a 15-yard rush, and Toney followed with a catch-and-run of 12 yards into Rebels territory. But Perkins corralled Beck in the backfield on back-to-back plays, and Ole Miss got the ball back at its 10-yard line. Chambliss connected with Wright for 19 yards to give the Rebels some breathing room. Then on 3rd and 9 from the Canes 47, Chambliss threw a laser to Lee for 11 yards. Cornerback Xavier Lucas was called for targeting, which moved the ball all the way to the
COLLEGE BOWL GAMES RESULTS Frisco Bowl - Ford Center at the The Star (Frisco, TX) Ohio 17 -UNLV 10 Alamo Bowl - Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) TCU 30 - No. 16 Southern Cal 27
Saturday, December 13, 2025 Celebration Bowl - Mercedes Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) South Carolina State 40 - Prairie View A&M 38
Wednesday, December 24, 2025 Hawai'i Bowl - Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (HI) Hawai'i 35 - California 31 Friday, December 26, 2025 GameAbove Sports Bowl - Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan) Northwestern 34 - Central Michigan 7
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl - Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL) No. 23 Iowa 34 - No. 14 Vanderbilt 27
LA Bowl - Sofi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) Washington 38 - Boise 10
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 Salute to Veterans Bowl - Cramton Bowl (Montgomery) Jacksonville State 17 - Troy 13 Wednesday, December 17, 2025 Cure Bowl - Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL) Old Dominion 24 - South Florida 10 68 Ventures Bowl - Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile) Delaware 20 - Louisiana 13
Sun Bowl - (El Paso, Texas) Duke 42 - Arizona State 39
Citrus Bowl - Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) No. 13 Texas 41 - No. 18 Michigan 27 Las Vegas Bowl - Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada) No. 15 Utah 44 - Nebraska 22 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal (Cotton Bowl) No. 10 Miami 24 - No. 2 Ohio State 14 Thursday, January 1, 2026 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal (Orange Bowl) No. 5 Oregon 23 - No. 4 Texas Tech 0 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal (Rose Bowl) No. 1 Indiana 38 No. 9 Alabama 3 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal (Sugar Bowl) No. 6 Ole Miss 39 - No. 3 Georgia 34 Friday, January 2, 2026 Armed Forces Bowl - Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth) Texas State 41 - Rice 10 Liberty Bowl - Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis) Navy 35 - Cincinnati 13 Duke's Mayo Bowl - Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte) Wake Forest 43 - Mississippi State 29 Holiday Bowl - Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, CA) SMU 24 - No. 17 Arizona 19 Thursday, January 8, 2026 College Football Playoff Semifinal (Fiesta Bowl) No. 10 Miami 31 - No. 6 Ole Miss 27 Friday, January 9, 2026 College Football Playoff Semifinal (Peach Bowl) No.1 Indiana 56 - No. 5 Oregon 22 Monday, January 19, 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game Hard Rock Stadium - Miami, FL (6:30 p.m. CT)
Rate Bowl - Chase Field (Phoenix, Arizona) Minnesota 20 - New Mexico 17
First Responder Bowl - Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas, TX) UTSA 56 - FIU 20 Saturday, December 27, 2025 Military Bowl - Navy-Marine Corps Stadium (Annapolis) East Carolina 23 - Pitt 17
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Xbox Bowl - Ford Center (Frisco, TX) Arkansas State 34 - Missouri State 28
Pinstripe Bowl - Yankee Stadium (New York) Penn State 22 - Clemson 10
Friday, December 19, 2025 Myrtle Beach Bowl - Brooks Stadium (Conway, SC) Western Michigan 41 - Kennesaw State Gasparilla Bowl - Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL) NC State 31 - Memphis 7
Fenway Bowl - Fenway Park (Boston) Army 41 - UConn 16
Pop-Tarts Bowl - Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL) No. 12 BYU 25 - No. 22 Georgia Tech 21
College Football Playoff First Round Game No. 9 Alabama 34 - No. 8 Oklahoma 24
Arizona Bowl - Arizona Stadium (Tucson, AZ) Fresno State 18 - Miami Ohio 3
Saturday, December 20, 2025 College Football Playoff First Round Game No. 10 Miami Hurricanes 10 - No. 7 Texas A&M 3 College Football Playoff First Round Game No. 6 Ole Miss 41 - No. 20 Tulane 10 College Football Playoff First Round Game No. 5 Oregon 51- No. 24 James Madison 34 Monday, December 22, 2025 Idaho Potato Bowl - Albertsons Stadium (Boise, ID) Washington State 34 - Utah State 21 Tuesday, December 23, 2025 Boca Raton Bowl - Flagler Credit Union Stadium (FL) Louisville 27 - Toledo 22 New Orleans Bowl - Caesars Superdome (New Orleans) Western Kentucky 27 - Southern Miss 16
New Mexico Bowl - University Stadium (Albuquerque, NM) North Texas 49 - San Diego State 47
Gator Bowl - EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, FL) No. 19 Virginia 13 - Missouri 7
Texas Bowl - NRG Stadium (Houston, TX) Houston 38 - LSU 35
Monday, December 29, 2025 Birmingham Bowl - Protective Stadium (Birmingham) Georgia Southern 29 - App State 10 Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Independence Bowl - Independence Stadium (Shreveport) Louisiana Tech 23 - Coastal Carolina 14 Music City Bowl - Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee) Illinois 30 - Tennessee 28
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