01/08/26 11:08:00
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01/08 11:06 CST Ole Miss and Miami to play for a spot in the FBS national
championship game at Fiesta Bowl
Ole Miss and Miami to play for a spot in the FBS national championship game at
Fiesta Bowl
By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) --- Mississippi has kept winning despite its coach bolting
for another program.
Miami has rekindled the glory days of its 2001 national championship with a
ferocious defense and steady quarterback.
One will play for a national championship after Thursday night's Fiesta Bowl.
Ole Miss (13-1) spent the last half of the regular season wondering if coach
Lane Kiffin would stick around or leave for LSU. Once the coach did head out,
the sixth-seeded Rebels kept winning to reach the College Football Playoff
semifinals.
Defensive coordinator Pete Golding took over as coach and many of the
assistants expected to join Kiffin in Baton Rouge stuck around to see the
Rebels through the rest of the playoffs. Ole Miss and its high-scoring offense
blew out Tulane in its opening CFP game and outlasted mighty Georgia 39-34 in
the semifinals.
Miami (12-2) is in the midst of its best run since winning the 2001 national
title.
The 10th-seeded Hurricanes have done it with a defense that went from
mediocrity to one of the stingiest in the FBS under first-year coordinator
Corey Hetherman. Miami gave up its fewest points since the 2001 national
championship team --- fourth nationally at 13.07 per game. The Hurricanes have
been even stingier in the CFP, holding Texas A&M and Ohio State to a combined
17 points.
Like most big games, the Fiesta Bowl will likely come down to which quarterback
plays best.
Miami's Carson Beck is a proven winner, earning a national championship as a
backup at Georgia before two stellar seasons as the starter. He's been a
perfect fit since transferring to Miami, throwing for for 3,313 yards and 27
touchdowns on 74% passing with 10 interceptions.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss took a circuitous route to the playoffs.
With limited options out of high school, the dual-threat quarterback opted to
play at Ferris State, leading the Bulldogs to a Division II championship last
season. Chambliss has been superb since taking over as starter three games into
this season, racking up 4,180 total yards and 29 touchdowns.
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