With Belief in Carson Beck, Miami Is Back Exactly Where It Expected to Be

The Hurricanes are hoping to bring The U back to its high standards as they head home to play for the CFP national championship after another instant classic playoff win.

The Miami Hurricanes celebrate after winning the Fiesta Bowl and earning a berth in the College Football Playoff national championship game. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Before the 15-play drive that would forever be etched into Miami lore, long before program legend Michael Irvin screamed into the air that the Hurricanes were heading home to play for the national championship or the golden confetti finally fell on the program to win their first Fiesta Bowl after four torturous trips to the desert, Mario Cristobal walked onto the field at State Farm Stadium to raise his fists in the air and pump them twice.

After mouthing the words, let’s go, he retreated back to the sideline, pulled the microphone on his coach’s headset down and got into a crouched position to watch the most consequential drive of the 175 games he’s been a head coach for. Trailing by a field goal with 3:13 left on the clock in the first of this season’s College Football Playoff semifinals, Cristobal turned it over to the quarterback he had relentlessly pursued last winter as the potential missing piece to get his alma mater back on the national stage after two decades of meandering well away from the standards set by his predecessors. 

The Canes were now in the hands of Carson Beck with it all on the line.

“I kind of looked at the guys on the sideline and said: ‘Man, this is what we worked for. This is what we live for. This is why you play the game of football. This is why you come to the University of Miami—is for moments like this,’ ” Beck recalled of his message in the huddle. “Are we going to respond or are we not? What are we going to do?”

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What they did was stamp their way into history at The U, rolling down the field twice to avoid a devastating late collapse before dramatically batting down a final Hail Mary attempt to dispatch No. 6 Ole Miss, 31–27, on Thursday night, delivering an instant CFP classic for the third game in a row. It was all thanks to the very playmakers who were key to even being there as the last team placed into the field 33 days ago. 

Beck turned back into the first-round quarterback he was trending to be before tearing ligaments in his elbow during the fourth quarter of last season’s SEC title game while with Georgia. He completed eight of 13 passes in the fourth quarter, finding Malachi Toney for a touchdown with 5:45 left in the game and then capping off a final 75-yard march to the end zone for a second score by taking it in himself for a 3-yard, game-winning scamper that left just 18 seconds on the clock. 

“I think it’s more a reflection of our players and their DNA and the way that they’re wired, how they came into the program and how they’ve continued to develop and evolve,” Cristobal said. “It almost seems like the tougher it gets, the better we play. And it’s a testament to them, to their resilience, and their will.”

Miami quarterback Carson Beck runs with the football against Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Will it they did, in a remarkable narrative-flipping script in their first game of the new year for Cristobal, who was long derided for his game-management skills that had cost Miami in the past, and for the high-priced Beck—who was previously known far more for the reported $4 million price tag he earned to make the move to Coral Gables, Fla., than for anything he accomplished between the lines. 

The senior, who added another victory to his tally of the most wins of any active quarterback in college football, finished the game 23-of-27 passing for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He bounced back from an interception late in the third quarter, which contributed to the Hurricanes losing their grip on a game in which they largely dominated, but had it all working when the team needed it the most as the pressure ramped up. Even the cool Arizona air that produced a hailstorm pregame turned heavy with humidity from the overbearing sweat coming from both sides of a heavyweight clash.

“There’s a reason why they were 13–1, they’re hard to beat,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said of Ole Miss. “Ultimately, we knew it was going to be this kind of game. And, fortunate for us, we got the ball at the end with enough time.”

Initially, it did not look like Miami would even need to be in such a position, much like it had in closing out Texas A&M on the road late in the first-round matchup or in nervously putting away reigning national champion Ohio State on New Year’s Eve in the Cotton Bowl. The Hurricanes and their mammoth offensive line were rolling over the Rebels early on, running off over seven minutes on two of their first three drives that built up an enormous advantage in time of possession that eventually settled in at more than double—41:22 to 18:38—that of their opponents despite the Rebels averaging over 6.6 yards per play. 

Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. tries to evade a tackle by Ole Miss cornerback Chris Graves Jr. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

“I thought our guys did a good job getting them behind the sticks and I thought our guys executed the plan really well,” defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. “We created pressure all night long, their quarterback just does such a good job of getting the ball out of his hands.”

Indeed, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was once again masterful in the pocket, whipping it out to nine different receivers for 277 yards and a touchdown while limiting a fearsome pass rush to just one sack. He needed only six plays to take the Rebels 75 yards for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter as part of another second-half comeback, often carrying the team as star running back Kewan Lacy dealt with a hamstring issue suffered while racing 73 yards for the only touchdown Miami had allowed all season long of over 40 yards. 

Chambliss nearly had the chance to pull off a miracle, advancing the team to the Miami 35-yard line in just two plays to set up one final desperation heave that De’Zhaun Stribling couldn’t catch in the back of the end zone. 

“Once the ball was in the air, there was nothing but prayers sent to God making sure they didn’t catch it,” says All-American defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. “This is a vision [Cristobal] had for me, a vision I had for myself knowing I could stay home and change the city and get The U back to where it needs to be.”

As the ball hit the turf with zeros on the clock and the Miami sideline exploded in jubilation at advancing to the final game of the season at their convenient home of Hard Rock Stadium in 11 days, the emotions finally started to pour out for many of those around the program who were there when their head coach took over. 

Miami running back CharMar Brown dives into the end zone to score a touchdown against Ole Miss. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

From a disappointing 5–7 mark in Year 1 that produced just a single NFL draft pick the following spring, to seven wins in 2023, to last season’s 10–3 campaign that saw them narrowly miss out on the playoff, this has been a steady march of progress built on Cristobal’s guiding principles. That played out in a game where the Canes racked up 191 yards on the ground and limited Ole Miss to just two of 10 on third down to overcome 10 penalties and a missed field goal in the third quarter. 

“I think it’s the simplicity of these guys. They know exactly who they are, and they know what it took to get us to this point and they were not settling for getting to this point just to get here,” Cristobal said, taking nearly an hour just to get to his postgame news conference after embracing everyone who played for Miami, past and present. “One-and-oh was the objective. They weren’t going to let anything get in the way.”

“It’s hard for some people to see it—and believe—four years ago when we came in, how to start rebuilding things and changing attitudes and cultures,” says Jason Taylor, the NFL Hall of Famer who is Miami’s defensive line coach. “All those guys that believed early on and went through some of the tough times, this is what it’s supposed to be. I can’t stress it enough though, these guys have worked their asses off and have accomplished quite a bit, but we have one more to go.

“The U is back to work tomorrow.”

Miami quarterback Carson Beck throws the ball against Ole Miss during the Fiesta Bowl. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Eyes on the prize, always, with this team. How could they not, reaching the final 60 minutes of the 2025 season with a shot at a national title and doing so at home, with a program that embraces the three counties that make up its backyard seemingly more than any other school.

It’s an apt ending for a group written off time after time over the past two decades, including just 69 days ago after losing in overtime to SMU. Now, though, it stands on the doorstep of returning the program back to where this team believes it belongs.

“This is what Miami does: ’83, ’87, ’91, they all played the games in the Orange Bowl, which was our home stadium at the time. It was just the way it worked,” says athletic director Dan Radakovich. “We’re going to get back to South Florida and then boom, we’re going to have a great opportunity to do what five other Miami teams have done. We want to be No. 6.”

After a historic final drive and hoisting the Fiesta Bowl trophy for the first, and most meaningful, time, that is still on the table. The U isn’t back yet, but it has a chance to earn it now. 

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