GLENDALE, Arizona — The Hurricanes are one win away from being atop the college football world once again.
Getting to that point took everything they got, as they squeaked out a four-point win over Ole Miss at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.
Here are five things we learned from UM’s massive victory:
1. ‘Gutsy’ Carson Beck
Carson Beck came to Miami as a polarizing figure. Opinions on how good he was were mixed, and he came with a reported hefty price tag.
He was worth every penny in Arizona.
The veteran quarterback was not perfect on Thursday. His completion percentage (62.2) was his second-lowest mark of the year. He missed shots down the field that could have been touchdowns. But when Miami needed him most, he came through.
On the Hurricanes’ game-winning drive, Beck was 6-of-11 and completed two crucial third-down passes (and got a pass interference call on a third). And when nothing was open in the game’s final seconds and his team needed the points, Beck snuck away from the defense and raced into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
“(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; to play in these big games, to have these big moments. Are we going to respond or are we not? What are we going to do?’
“I told them I love them. I told them whatever happens, I still love them. I’m proud of them. And I think just looking at the look in everybody’s eyes, I kind of felt what was about to go happen.”
2. Lots to correct
Miami has lots to celebrate, but it also has many things it needs to correct.
The Hurricanes committed 10 penalties for 74 yards, and many of those penalties came at crucial moments. They made many other mistakes that don’t show up in the box score — like dropping four potential interceptions.
No matter who the Hurricanes play in the national championship game, they need to clean up those errors.
“Honestly, football isn’t complicated; people are,” coach Mario Cristobal said. “When you start jumping offsides and you get some of these pre-snap penalties, you complicate things for yourself. 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 — 1-0 was the objective. They weren’t going to let anything get in the way.”
3. Third-down efficiency
Miami has excelled at third downs in its last two games. Against Ohio State, the Hurricanes connected on half of their third-down attempts.
On Thursday, they were even better. UM converted on 11 of 19 third-down tries, and they added a pair of fourth-down conversions, as well.
The Hurricanes also did well at getting the Rebels off the field. Miami’s defense held Ole Miss to a 20 percent conversion rate, which was the Rebels’ second-lowest mark this year.
4. Pound the rock, control the game
Miami’s best defense was keeping the ball out of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’ hands. The Hurricanes needed to control the clock, and to do that, they needed to run the ball.
Mission accomplished.
Miami racked up 191 rushing yards (225 yards when sacks are removed). Running backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Marty Brown continued to gain crucial yards. Fletcher ended the game with 133 yards and 6 yards per carry, crossing the 1,000-yard mark in the process. Brown added 54 yards and a touchdown.
The Hurricanes dominated the time-of-possession battle, controlling the ball for more than 41 of the game’s 60 minutes. Miami ran 88 plays to Ole Miss’ 60.
“That was a big challenge that we put on ourselves, to control the line of scrimmage and get moving up front,” center James Brockermeyer said. “And it was really hard to do, but they did some really challenging stuff, movement-wise, that we had to match. But coach (Alex) Mirabal had a great plan for it, and all we had to do was just go execute it. And it wasn’t perfect all the time, but at the end of the day we found a way to get the job done.”
5. Something to savor
The national title game is more than a week away as UM pulled off the improbable after barely qualifying for the playoffs.
There will be countless preview shows, articles and podcasts breaking down the championship game in the coming days.
But for now, the No. 10 Hurricanes are one of two teams left standing. They surpassed all but the rosiest expectations. They overcame a pair of disappointing, mid-season losses and have gone on a run for the ages. Hurricanes fans should savor this moment and what this team has accomplished.
“Yeah, obviously, I’m super excited,” Beck said. “This whole team is super excited to have the opportunity to play, not only for a national championship, but play in Hard Rock, where it’s our home stadium. Man, I’m just so grateful for this opportunity.”
