One win away from playing a National Championship, the Ole Miss Rebels would face off with the Hurricanes of Miami in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl. Needing just a win, all the effort comes down to the sixty-minute game with the Hurricanes on Thursday night. A win, and Coach Pete Golding and the Rebels would be heading to Miami to play for the Championship for the first time since winning the National Championship in 1962. A loss on Thursday night and the Rebels’ successful season would come to a halt, but not without taking the Ole Miss program to heights never before. 

Wanting to set the tone early, Ole Miss would elect to receive the opening kickoff after winning the coin toss with a call of heads. 

On the opening drive, Ole Miss would go three and out after the stingy Hurricanes’ defense forced a punt. The Landshark defense would bend but not break as Miami put together a nice drive that ended with a 38-yard Carter Davis field goal to give the Hurricanes an early 3-0 lead over the Rebels. On the second possession, for Ole Miss, the Miami defense would once again force a punt as they forced Trinidad Chambliss out of his comfort zone with quick passes and scramble protection at the line of scrimmage with a brick wall of Miami defenders. Miami would take a 3-0 lead to end of the first. 

Kewan Lacy would open the second quarter for Ole Miss with a monster 73-yard rushing touchdown to give the Rebels a 7-3 lead over the Hurricanes. Miami would respond with a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped off by CharMar Brown rushing touchdown to give the Canes a 10-7 lead over Ole Miss with 7:09 in the second. Lucas Carneiro would deliver Ole Miss a 42-yard field goal to tie the game at ten with 4:38 remaining in the half. Miami would take it 75-yards in five plays as Carson Beck found Keelan Marion wide open for a 52-yard touchdown pass to give the Canes a 17-10 lead with 2:18 remaining in the half. Lucas Carneiro would drill a massive 58-yard field goal for Ole Miss to bring the Rebels within four, sending it to halftime with Miami leading 17-13. 

Despite being down four at the break, it felt as if Miami had dominated Ole Miss for the entire first half, so being down only four at the half felt like a win for the Rebels. 

Miami would open the second half with the ball after Ole Miss won the coin toss and elected to receive. 

The Ole Miss defense would stall out a promising Miami drive that ended with a missed 51-yard field goal that gave the Rebels mometum and the ball back on the Ole Miss 33-yard line. Lucas Carneiro would come in with a rare missed field goal as the 51-yard attempt falls short and the Hurricanes take over on downs. Miami would once again put together a long frive but Kapena Gushiken would deliver the first turnover of the night for either team as he picks off Carson Beck to give the Rebels the mometum and the ball back on the Ole Miss 14-yard line. Lucas Carneiro would add a 54-yard field goal to bring the Rebels within one of Miami with a score of 17-16 with 22 seconds remaining in the third. At the end of the third, it was the Hurricanes of Miami holding on to a 17-16 lead over Ole Miss. 

Ole Miss opened the 4th quarter by forcing another Miami punt, giving the ball back to Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels the ball back with 12:19 remaining in the game. Ole Miss would put together a long drive but would stall out as Lucas Carneiro would once again come in to bail out the offense with a 22-yard field goal that took a 19-17 lead for the Rebels. Miami would respond with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped off by Carson Beck finding Malachi Toney in the flat, which turned into a 36-yard touchdown pass with 5:04 remaining in the game. Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss would answer with a touchdown of their own as Trinidad Chambliss finds Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown before adding a pass to Odom in the back of the endzone for a successful two point conversstion to make it 27-24 Ole Miss with 3:08 remaining in the game. Carson Beck would take the Hurricanes right down the field before taking a Miami lead with a three-yard quarterback keeper with 18 seconds to take a 31-27 Miami lead over Ole Miss. 

Ole Miss falls short as the 2025 season comes to an end in the Fiesta Bowl. With that, nothing to be ashamed of, the 2025 Ole Miss Rebels did something no other team in school history has done, all the while overcoming unthinkable adversity to close out the season. Coach Golding had something special in Oxford and the Rebels will be back on this stage sooner rather than later. 

Photo Credits- Ole Miss football on X