by Derek Lee
Mario Cristobal had seemingly everything he could want. He was the head coach of the Oregon Ducks, had a billionaire funding his team and was just coming off of a 10 win season. And then, Miami came calling. His dream job, seemingly the only job he would leave Eugene for. Miami had just fired Manny Diaz and was coming off an underwhelming 7 win season. Although this move was understood by many, the Duck faithful criticized the move, and there were plenty who thought he would never succeed at The U. But now, Miami is on their way to a national championship game at their home stadium.
Carson Beck led a masterful 15 play, 75 yard touchdown drive, capping it off with a 3 yard scramble with 18 seconds left. Beck finished with 268 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception in the Canes’ 31-27 win in the Fiesta Bowl. Although he was the hero in the end, Miami’s offensive line and run game were the story of the day.
miami controlled the ball for over 41 minutes, compared to just 18 for Ole Miss. They were able to perfectly execute their game plan by controlling the tempo of the game and wearing down Ole Miss’ defense. Miami racked up 191 rushing yards and although they only averaged 3.7 yards per rush, the war of attrition worked out perfectly. Ole Miss’ defensive linemen were seen constantly with their hands on their knees and looking out of breath for the majority of the second half. The consistency in the run game lead to big rushes of 11, 17 and 19 in the second half. In one particular play, Miami’s running back Mark Fletcher Jr. was carried for nearly 10 yards by his offensive line following initial contact. Miami outphysicalled and outplayed Ole Miss. And although Ole Miss had a chance to win this game late, Miami’s physicality wore out the Rebels’ defense to the point that they had nothing left for one last drive.
After a defensive slugfest for the first 3 quarters, the offenses came to life in the fourth quarter. The Rebels and the Hurricanes traded scores on the final 4 possessions, not counting Ole Miss’ last gasp drive with 18 seconds left. Trinidad Chambliss continued his magician act, leading a 6 play, 75 yard drive in 1 minute and 51 seconds to take a 27-24 lead with 3:13 to play. He accounted for 64 of the 75 yards on the drive with a 21 yard pass, a 19 yard scramble and capped it off with a 24 yard touchdown pass to Dae’Quon Wright. But a quarterback can only do so much, and the Rebels’ cinderella run following the loss of head coach Lane Kiffin came to an end.
Since their November 1st lost of SMU, Miami has ran the table and has looked every bit of a national title contender. They held Ole Miss to their lowest point total since October 11th, their defensive line has looked every bit as advertised and their run game is operating as good as it has all season. If they are going to win a national championship, this is the time for them. They will get to play the national championship in their home stadium, their home city and have an extra day of rest and preparation for Indiana. Will they have to play their best game of the year? Yes. Did their defense get banged up in the Fiesta Bowl? Yes. But do they need just one more win to be kings of college football? Yes.
Speaking of defensive injuries, the Hurricanes sustained quite the number in Glendale, Arizona. Defensive lineman Ahmad Moten exited the game on just the second play with a foot injury and did not return. Ahkeem Mesidor also exited the game in the second half with an apparent right arm injury after getting rolled up in a pile. Tight end Elija Lofton was also carted off the field after spitting up blood. It is imperative the these 3 get healthy before January 19th if the Canes are to have a chance against Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers. One player that health will not impact is defensive back, Xavier Lucas. He will miss the first half of the national championship after a very questionable targeting call in the second half of the game. A play that was very similar to a targeting call on Ole Miss that was waived off during the first half of the game.
Officials made themselves incredibly visible during the second half of the game after a relatively clean first half and nearly perfect Cotton Bowl for Miami. The Hurricanes were called for 10 penalties for 74 yards including the targeting on Lucas and a crucial roughing the passer call. Ole Miss was penalized 4 times for 34 yards during the game, however two of these were huge, a pass interference on Miami’s touchdown drive to take a 24-19 lead and a facemask on Miami’s game winning drive. Boos were heard throughout the night at State Farm Stadium as fans of both sides were unhappy with the officiating.
But even against the officials, with their backs against the wall and their season on the line, Miami found a way. They stayed true to their gameplan, ran the football down Ole Miss’ throat and tired them out to the point that they had nothing left when Carson Beck scrambled through the left side of the line for the game winning touchdown. Can they complete their magical run with a national championship? They need one more win, 4 more quarters, 60 more minutes but Indiana is thinking the same thing as well.
And oh boy did Indiana take care of business. They came out hot from the start with a pick six on the first play from scrimmage and never looked back. They lead Oregon 35-7 and capped it off by winning 56-22. Fernando Mendoza threw for only 177 yards but had 5 touchdowns and the Hoosiers’ defense forced 3 turnovers and blocked a punt during their Duck hunt.
Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby combined for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns to flank Mendoza. In looking at the box score and overall team stats, one may wonder how this score got so lopsided. Well, look no further than Dante Moore. Moore, who came into the game as the possible 2nd overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft certainly did not help solidify his draft stock. As previously mentioned, he threw a pick six on the first play of the game. He then followed it up with a fumble on Oregon’s 3 yard line after hitting his running back in the shoulder during his throwing motion and then later in the first half fumbled when he was sacked by Daniel Ndukwe.
Oregon’s offense could never find their rhythm. They finished with only 22 points on 378 yards, only averaging 3.6 yards per rush. They looked lost for the entire game, giving up 3 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. They had a punt blocked, missed a field goal and all around looked like a JV team against the Hoosiers. Will this drop Dante Moore’s draft stock enough to convince him to come back to Oregon next year? Do we need to have a conversation about Dan Lanning in the playoff? This is back to back years that his team has been smacked around by a conference opponent. Last year you could chalk up to the bye week. This year… not much of an excuse. You could argue that he has two coordinators leaving and neither of them were able to prepare properly for this game. You could argue that Indiana is comparable to 2019 LSU. But either way, you cannot continue to get beat like this on a national stage and try to advertise yourself as “that team out west”, let alone a blueblood.
Looking ahead to the national championship on January 19th, there are many questions to answer. I will have a national championship preview out soon, but let’s dive into this a little. Can Miami do anything to slow down Indiana? They have now put up 38 against Alabama in the Rose Bowl and 56 against Oregon in the Peach Bowl. Miami will be the best defense that Indiana has faced in the playoffs, but can they do enough to slow down Mendoza? The other comparable defense would be Ohio State, who held Indiana to only 13 points in the Big 10 Championship game. If Miami can replicate what the Buckeyes did, they have a chance. But they also got very banged up on the defensive side of the ball in the Fiesta Bowl. Will they get enough guys back to have a chance?
On the opposite side, can Miami even score against this Indiana defense? Indiana is monstrous upfront and Miami will be hard pressed to run the football against the Hoosiers. Carson Beck will need to make big time throws and convert on third down after third down. If Miami starts throwing out 3 and out after 3 and out, their defense will not be able to hold up against this high powered Indiana offense. Will the crowd make a difference? Yes the championship game is in Miami, at the Hurricanes’ home stadium. But the Hoosiers had about 80% of the crowd in the Peach Bowl. They will most certainly travel well to Hard Rock Stadium. Miami has had an issue getting butts into seats in recent years, will Dade County rally around their Canes and make life harder for this Indiana offense? Only time will tell.