SI

Ole Miss Really Wanted a Flag on Final Hail Mary Attempt vs. Miami

It’s tough to throw a flag on the final play of the game, but this sure was a lot of contact.

Tyler Lauletta

Should Ole Miss have gotten one more snap with a chance to win vs. Miami?
Should Ole Miss have gotten one more snap with a chance to win vs. Miami? / @Rate_the_Refs / X
In this story:

Miami punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff national championship game with a dramatic win over Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.

It was a back-and-forth affair that saw four lead changes in the fourth quarter, with Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck playing hero in the end, scrambling for the score that would prove the game-winner with just 18 seconds left on the clock.

But to their credit, Ole Miss made the most of those 18 seconds, working two quick completions to get all the way down to the Miami 35-yard line for one snap to go to the end zone.

Trinidad Chambliss threw up one ball for all the marbles, but De’Zhaun Stribling couldn’t come down with the catch. Game over, Canes win.

FREE. SI College Football Newsletter. Get SI's College Football Newsletter. dark

Officials are always hesitant to throw a flag on the final play of the game, and both Stribling and his defenders were battling hard for position, but upon further review, there sure was a lot of contact on this one.

The Ole Miss sideline sure wanted a flag, but they didn’t get one. Online, some fans expressed frustration with lack of a call.

Again, the refs are usually going to let this one go, especially on Hail Marys, and you can understand that the officials would prefer to keep that one in their pocket. At the same time, it’s easy to see why Ole Miss fans were incensed with the lack of a flag.

But in the end, the game is final. Miami is moving on to the national championship, where they will host either Indiana or Oregon with a title on the line on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium.

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Appleand Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.

feed

Published
Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.

Home/College Football