Overview
- Ole Miss lost 31–27 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal as Miami scored on Carson Beck’s 3-yard run with 18 seconds left before a last-play incompletion in the end zone.
- Golding said contact on the final 35-yard throw to De’Zhaun Stribling did not decide the game, citing execution, preparation and coaching as the shortcomings.
- Miami converted 11 of 19 third downs and controlled the ball for 41:22, outgaining Ole Miss on the ground with 191 rushing yards, including 133 by Mark Fletcher Jr.
- Golding pointed to two decisive moments: Malachi Toney’s 36-yard screen-pass touchdown and Beck’s late scramble to the pylon.
- Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss capped a breakout year as a former Division II transfer with 3,937 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns and an eighth-place Heisman finish after stepping in during a swift transition following Lane Kiffin’s Nov. 30 departure.