TAMPA, Fla. – The home page on Miami’s College Football Playoff site says it all: Coming Home. Indeed, a national championship game within the friendly confines of Hard Rock Stadium on Monday, January 19, against Indiana is the reward for a playoff journey that has the Hurricanes a win away from their first title since 2001.
The Hurricanes did not make things easy on themselves in a 31-27 win over the Rebels on Thursday evening in Tempe. Not with 10 penalties and committing the game’s only turnover. Alas, good teams overcome bouts of sloppiness and the ‘Canes did just that. They were also at their best when it mattered most.
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While stars such Carson Beck, Mark Fletcher Jr. and Malachi Toney rose to the occasion, the production provided by running back Marty Brown and receivers Keelan Marion and C.J. Daniels was no less than exceptional and, more importantly, timely. That was especially the case on Miami’s final possession, a scoring drive that was a thing of beauty with it taking 15 plays to go 75 yards in 2:55 and capped by Beck’s three-yard TD run with 18 seconds remaining.
On a third-and-eight from their own 39, Beck found Marion for 15 yards and a first down into Ole Miss territory. On a third-and-six from the Rebels’ 42, Beck connected with Daniels, who fought through the tackle of corner Chris Graves, Jr. and was able to lunge for a first down and seven-yard pickup to the 35. Two plays later, on third-and-10, Beck found Marion down the middle for 17 yards to the 18.
Beck and Marion connected again, for 11 yards to set up a first-and-goal from the eight. Brown plowed forward for five yards and Beck followed with the decisive TD run.
In the eyes of coach Mario Cristobal, coming from behind late underscored what his team is all about.
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“It almost seems like the tougher it gets, the better we play,” he said in his postgame presser. “It is a testament to them, their resilience and their will.”
On the drive, Marion, who earlier caught a 52-yard touchdown pass, had three receptions for 36 yards to given him a career high seven catches for 114 yards, two shy of his best.
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