Tag: Miami

Indiana caps stunning title run with tight win over Miami

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Fernando Mendoza rushed for a touchdown, Mikail Kamara had a key blocked punt and Indiana won its first football national championship with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff title game on Monday night at Miami Gardens, Fla.

Miami native Jamari Sharpe intercepted the Hurricanes’ Carson Beck with 44 seconds left as the top-seeded Hoosiers (16-0) put an exclamation point on their rags-to-riches story.

Indiana went 9-27 over a three-season span earlier this decade, but the Hoosiers are 27-2 in two seasons under coach Curt Cignetti.

Riley Nowakowski rushed for an Indiana score, and Isaiah Jones fell on the blocked punt in the end zone. Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, completed 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards for the Hoosiers, who were the designated home team despite the contest being in the Hurricanes’ stadium.

Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries for 10th-seeded Miami (13-3). Beck connected on 19 of 32 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and the costly interception, while Malachi Toney made 10 catches for 122 yards and a TD.

Miami trailed 10-0 before Fletcher ran wide of right tackle and scurried 57 yards for a touchdown with 11:06 left in the third quarter. It was the longest run of Fletcher’s career.

Later in the quarter, the Hurricanes were in punt formation and Kamara got his left hand on the slow-moving boot from Dylan Joyce. Jones recovered the ball in the end zone to give Indiana a 17-7 lead with 5:04 left in the period.

The Hurricanes responded from that blow with a 10-play, 81-yard drive. Fletcher scored from the 3 on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull Miami within three.

Indiana then twice converted on fourth downs on the next drive to push its lead back to 10.

On fourth-and-5 at the Miami 37-yard line, Mendoza hit Charlie Becker for 19 yards and a first down.

Then on fourth-and-4 from the 12, Indiana called on Mendoza to keep the ball and he secured the first down, broke a tackle and then lunged into the air and across the goal line to make it 24-14 with 9:18 remaining in the game.

Miami answered with an eight-play, 91-yard march. Toney took a reverse 22 yards for the score to trim Indiana’s lead to three with 6:37 left.

Mendoza completed third-down throws to Omar Cooper Jr. for 14 yards and Becker for 19 yards on the ensuing drive, setting up Nico Radicic’s 35-yard field goal with 1:42 left.

The Hoosiers limited Miami to 69 yards and three first downs while taking a 10-0 halftime lead.

Indiana got on the board on Radicic’s 34-yard field goal with 2:42 left in the opening quarter.

The Hoosiers increased their lead to 10 with a 14-play, 85-yard drive. Nowakowski bulled in from the 1 with 6:13 left in the half.

–Field Level Media

Miami-Indiana CFP get-in price soars over $4K

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Monday night’s title game between Miami and Indiana will be the most expensive ticket in the history of the College Football Playoff.

The get-in price for two seats together at the 65,000-seat Hard Rock Stadium as of 5 p.m. ET on Monday was more than $4,000 across several secondary ticketing platforms.

SeatGeek: $4,109
Ticketmaster: $4,080
Vivid Seats: $4,028
StubHub: $4,217

The get-in price at SeatGeek had risen approximately $900 from just a few hours earlier on Monday afternoon, according to tracking on the platform by Field Level Media.

That is on pace to smash the previous high on record of $1,830 on TickPick for last year’s title game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, according to Front Office Sports.

Contributing factors to the record price include Miami playing in its home stadium, which is also the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and that Indiana boasts the largest living alumni base in the United States at more than 800,000.

The No. 1 Hoosiers are seeking their first national title in program history while the Hurricanes are seeking their first since the 2001 season. Indiana is a consensus 7.5-point favorite.

–Field Level Media

CFP Title Game: Miami-Indiana Preview, Props, Prediction

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Arguably the most unique College Football Playoff in history concludes with No. 1 Indiana taking on No. 10 Miami in Monday night’s title game at Miami Gardens, Fla.

That the game is in Miami is one of the interesting wrinkles, as the Hurricanes will play the role of “visitors” in their home stadium. That one of the most successful programs in college football history is a massive underdog to a traditional basketball powerhouse is another.

ODDS AND TRENDS
The Hoosiers settled in as consensus 7.5-point favorites as of Monday afternoon. That includes at BetMGM, where Indiana has been backed by 76% of the total spread-line bets and 79% of the money since the line opened at the same number.

The Hurricanes’ longshot odds of winning the game outright has drawn some support with 72% of the bets and 54% of the money backing Miami’s +260 moneyline.

The 47.5 total points line has also held steady since opening, with the Over backed by 79% of the total bets while the Under has been supported by 53% of the money.

PROP PICKS
–Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza 2+ Passing TDs (-175 at DraftKings): This is the most popular player prop at the book. Mendoza has thrown multiple touchdowns in four of his past six games and it likely would have been five had the Hoosiers not turned to a run-heavy attack early in their 56-22 thumping of Oregon.

–Miami RB Mark Fletcher Anytime TD (+130 at BetMGM): This is the most popular Hurricanes-centric prop bet at the book, where Indiana dominates the action. Fletcher Jr. has been superb in the postseason with rushing outputs of 172, 90 and 133 yards through the first three games. However, he does not have a rushing touchdown on 58 combined carries after registering 10 rushing TDs during the regular season.

KEY STAT
While Miami has battled through tight games against Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss, Indiana has blitzed its first two playoff opponents by a combined score of 94-25.

THE NEWS
Indiana has never won a national championship, while the Hurricanes have won five, the most recent coming in the 2001 season.

Mendoza and the Hoosiers (15-0) are led by second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, who is 26-2 since leaving James Madison to become the Indiana coach.

“If you look at the record since Indiana started playing football and relative to the success we’ve had the last two years, we’ve broken a lot of records here in terms of wins, championships, postseason games, top-10 wins on the road, et cetera,” Cignetti said.

“So it’s been kind of surreal, but you get it done with the right people, properly led. You’ve got to have a blueprint, plan and process. You’ve got to have the right people on your staff and the right people in the locker room.”

One of those right people turned out to be Mendoza, who was a competent quarterback with 30 touchdowns against 16 interceptions during two starting seasons at Cal.

But with the Hoosiers, the transformation was stunning. Mendoza leads the nation with 41 touchdowns passes and has completed 73% of his passes for 3,349 yards while being intercepted just six times.

Mendoza became the first Heisman winner in Indiana history and is the overwhelming favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Hoosiers have become a powerful force. The semifinal bludgeoning of Oregon marked the seventh time the team scored 50 or more points this season.

That kind of firepower overshadows that the defense has allowed 10 or fewer points nine times. Safety Louis Moore grabbed six interceptions and outside linebacker Rolijah Hardy amassed eight sacks.

Miami (13-2) gets to play in its home venue and has impressively recorded three straight playoff wins despite some observers feeling they shouldn’t have made the CFP field.

That’s no longer a topic after the stellar string of victories over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss. The Hurricanes trailed the Rebels late in the semifinals before Carson Beck guided the decisive 15-play, 75-yard drive and scored on a 3-yard run with 18 seconds left.

Beck is in his sixth college season but first with Miami after spending five years at Georgia. He has thrown for 11,493 yards and 87 touchdowns against 31 interceptions in that time.

The Hurricanes were 6-2 after losing twice in three weeks before turning it on for the rest of the regular season. But coach Mario Cristobal said no team his club has faced is on par with the Hoosiers.

“They’re the best overall team and best defense we have faced,” Cristobal said. “I know that their rankings and anything statistically important are between 1 and 5. It starts with this. They’re really fast, physical, explosive, talented and smart. They play with a lot of physicality, a lot of violence. They make it very challenging.”

Miami’s defense is led by stellar defensive ends Akheem Mesidor (team-best 10.5 sacks) and Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Bain Jr. (8.5 sacks).

THEY SAID IT
–“I still remember when I was in the transfer portal, Coach Cignetti said, ‘Hey, if you’re going to come here, you’re going to develop into a hell of a quarterback.’ It wasn’t about, at that point, ‘Hey, I’m going to promise you a national championship.’ It was, ‘You’re going to develop and have that belief.’” –Mendoza

–“I don’t know if it’s hit me yet, to be honest. I feel like during the game, or probably when the game starts, it will. It’ll be a thought that crosses my mind. Knowing that it is my last college football game ever and it being a national championship, what an opportunity. And regardless of what happens, what a season as well.” –Beck

PREDICTION
The Hurricanes have the ability to stay in any game courtesy of an outstanding defense and a highly experienced quarterback. However, they haven’t run into a team fully capable of handling their defensive line during this CFP run, and the Hoosiers are among the nation’s most well-balanced and talented units on both sides of the ball.
Expect Miami to keep the game within reach with a dogged commitment to the run and underneath passing games, with Indiana eventually pulling away with its strength in the trenches and superior big-play ability.

–Indiana 30, Miami 23

–Field Level Media

Miami not fazed by being visitors in ‘home’ digs

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Miami will be the visitors in every meaning of the word when it faces Indiana in Monday night’s College Football Playoff national title game.

The top-seeded Hoosiers are 8.5-point favorites over the No. 10 Hurricanes despite the game being played in Miami’s home stadium at Miami Gardens, Fla., and the Hurricanes will be placed on the visiting sideline and wearing white uniforms.

In other words, not the usual “home” environment at the stadium in which Miami is 13-1 over the past two seasons.

“I’m sure some guys might get confused and start running to the other sideline mid-game,” Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck said, laughing. “But at the end of the day, once you step on the lines, between the field, it’s the same size end zone, same 100 yards, and it’s going to come down to the execution.”

Hurricanes star running back Mark Fletcher Jr. can feel the oddness of standing on the opposite sideline.

“I know that’s probably going to feel a little weird,” Fletcher said. “But just spot the ball. We play on that grass.”

As for being home underdogs, standout defensive end Akheem Mesidor says to bring it on.

“I’ve been an underdog my whole life, so being an underdog in this last game — being an underdog in every game we played in the playoffs — really doesn’t mean anything to me,” Mesidor said. “It might fuel me a little bit, but at the end of the day, I just want to play football and show that we are the best team in the nation.”

Star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. said the general sentiment that Miami faces long odds is providing big-time fuel.

“Motivated by being an underdog is a lot,” said Bain, the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. “I feel like that’s been our whole journey, the whole story of the whole playoffs. We like it. We don’t want nobody to believe in us. The people that believe in us is just the program, and that’s all we need.

“Everybody in that room putting on pads is helping us try to get to our better goal and that’s all we need. It’s going to be a little different not having the same sideline and things like that, but no matter where we at, we going to get the job done.”

Miami reached the final with wins over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss. The Hurricanes are seeking their sixth national crown, last won in the 2001 season.

Indiana, which received a first-round bye, has walloped No. 9 Alabama and No. 5 Oregon by a combined 94-25 in its first two playoff games. The Hoosiers are looking for their first national title.

–Field Level Media

History waiting to be written when Indiana, Miami collide in title game

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Top-seeded Indiana stands one victory away from becoming the biggest rags-to-riches story in college football history.

A program that went 9-27 over a three-year span earlier this decade and had the most losses in FBS history until earlier this season is on the verge of becoming national champions when it faces No. 10 Miami on Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game at Miami Gardens, Fla.

Indiana has never won a national championship, while the Hurricanes have won five, the most recent coming in the 2001 season.

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers (15-0) smashed No. 9 Alabama and No. 5 Oregon by a combined 94-25 in their first two playoff games. They now look to seal the deal behind second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, who is 26-2 since leaving James Madison to become the Indiana coach.

“If you look at the record since Indiana started playing football and relative to the success we’ve had the last two years, we’ve broken a lot of records here in terms of wins, championships, postseason games, top-10 wins on the road, et cetera,” Cignetti said.

“So it’s been kind of surreal, but you get it done with the right people, properly led. You’ve got to have a blueprint, plan and process. You’ve got to have the right people on your staff and the right people in the locker room.”

One of those right people turned out to be Mendoza, who was a competent quarterback with 30 touchdowns against 16 interceptions during two starting seasons at Cal.

But with the Hoosiers, the transformation was stunning. Mendoza leads the nation with 41 touchdowns passes and has completed 73% of his passes for 3,349 yards while being intercepted just six times.

Mendoza became the first Heisman winner in Indiana history and is the overwhelming favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

But first, Cignetti had to sell Mendoza that Indiana was the right place for him.

“I still remember when I was in the transfer portal, Coach Cignetti said, ‘Hey, if you’re going to come here, you’re going to develop into a hell of a quarterback,’” Mendoza said. “It wasn’t about, at that point, ‘Hey, I’m going to promise you a national championship.’ It was, ‘You’re going to develop and have that belief.’”

The Hoosiers became a powerful force. The semifinal bludgeoning of Oregon marked the seventh time the team scored 50 or more points this season.

That kind of firepower overshadows that the defense has allowed 10 or fewer points nine times. Safety Louis Moore grabbed six interceptions and outside linebacker Rolijah Hardy amassed eight sacks.

Miami (13-2) gets to play in its home venue and has impressively recorded three straight playoff wins despite some observers feeling they shouldn’t have made the CFP field.

That’s no longer a topic after the stellar string of victories over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss. The Hurricanes trailed the Rebels late in the semifinals before Carson Beck guided the decisive 15-play, 75-yard drive and scored on a 3-yard run with 18 seconds left.

Beck is in his sixth college season but first with Miami after spending five years at Georgia. He has thrown for 11,493 yards and 87 touchdowns against 31 interceptions in that time.

And now the possibility looms for a storybook career-ending victory.

“I don’t know if it’s hit me yet, to be honest,” Beck said. “I feel like during the game, or probably when the game starts, it will. It’ll be a thought that crosses my mind.

“Knowing that it is my last college football game ever and it being a national championship, what an opportunity. And regardless of what happens, what a season as well.”

The Hurricanes were 6-2 after losing twice in three weeks before turning it on for the rest of the regular season. But coach Mario Cristobal said no team his club has faced is on par with the Hoosiers.

“They’re the best overall team and best defense we have faced,” Cristobal said. “I know that their rankings and anything statistically important are between 1 and 5. It starts with this. They’re really fast, physical, explosive, talented and smart. They play with a lot of physicality, a lot of violence. They make it very challenging.”

Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. has been superb in the postseason with rushing outputs of 172, 90 and 133 yards. The defense is led by stellar defensive ends Akheem Mesidor (team-best 10.5 sacks) and Rueben Bain Jr. (8.5 sacks).

–Field Level Media

Reports: Miami throws $6.5M offer at draft-bound QB Ty Simpson

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Multiple programs are attempting to entice Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with top-dollar offers to delay his decision to enter the NFL draft, according to multiple reports.

The Tuscaloosa News reported Simpson, who declared for the 2026 NFL Draft last week, has not yet filed his paperwork to officially enter the draft but did accept an invitation to the Senior Bowl. As of Monday afternoon, Simpson had not entered the college football transfer portal.

Multiple reports claim Simpson has a $6.5 million offer on the table from Miami, and both Ole Miss and Tennessee put up $4 million offers for the 2026 season. USA Today reported Simpson was offered $4 million by Miami but “within minutes” the Hurricanes increased the payout.

Miami signed transfer Carson Beck to lead the Hurricanes in 2025. With an appearance in the national championship game on deck, the Hurricanes don’t have a 2026 starter locked in but will make $20 million for their playoff showing.

Beck reportedly made $4 million in NIL and approximately $10 million total — through agreements with brands such as Beats by Dre, Chipotle, Airstar Charter — since leaving Georgia.

A projected 2026 first-round pick, Simpson led the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff in his first season as a starter in 2025. The redshirt junior took over after three years in a backup role when Jalen Milroe decided to head for the NFL because it was time to “chase my dreams.”

Field Level Media rates Simpson as a top three quarterback along with Oregon’s Dante Moore and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. All three would likely be in the mix in the top 20 of the 2026 NFL Draft.

If Simpson is drafted 20th overall, for example, he would be in line for a four-year contract worth $18 million-$21 million fully guaranteed. As the No. 10 pick, Simpson would make a projected $26 million-$29 million guaranteed with a signing bonus of $16 million.

Simpson passed for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in 15 games in 2025.

–Field Level Media

Indiana opens as TD favorite over Miami in CFP title game

Posted on | by Field Level Media

To absolutely no one’s surprise, No. 1 Indiana, fresh off a Peach Bowl blowout win, is the prohibitive favorite against No. 10 Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game Jan. 19 in the Hurricanes’ home stadium.

The Hoosiers (15-0) — opening as 7.5-point favorites in the title game, per BetMGM — annihilated No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in Atlanta on Friday night, guided by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza’s five touchdown passes. Seeking its first national title, Indiana has won its two CFP games by a combined 69 points, and it remains to be seen if Miami’s stout defensive line, led by projected first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. along with Akheem Mesidor, can slow this offensive juggernaut.

To win the game straight up, Indiana is at -300 compared to +240 for Miami. Betting $10 on the Hoosiers would earn $3.33, compared to $24 for betting $10 on Miami to prevail.

Mendoza, a Miami native in his first season at Indiana after transferring from Cal, will have plenty of support in his homecoming, from family and friends to a massive contingent of Hoosiers fans who took over the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday night. All Mendoza has done in two CFP games is toss eight touchdown passes, zero interceptions and only five incompletions.

Meanwhile, underdog Miami (13-2) faced a much tougher challenge to reach the title game, but quarterback Carson Beck, in his first season with the Hurricanes after transferring from Georgia, scored the go-ahead TD with 18 seconds left to upend No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 on Thursday night in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.

The Hurricanes are no stranger to the national championship, having won five in their storied history, but have not hoisted the trophy since 2001. No team has won the national title in its own stadium, which should give Miami added incentive to capture title No. 6 in front of its devoted fan base.

–Field Level Media

U turn? Transfer QB Sam Leavitt books visit to Miami

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Sam Leavitt booked a trip to Miami one day after the Hurricanes punched a ticket for the national championship game.

According to multiple reports, the coveted Arizona State transfer viewed as the top quarterback in the portal left LSU without an agreement and plans to continue his tour in South Florida.

Leavitt visited LSU on Monday and Tuesday, where he huddled with new head coach Lane Kiffin, whose former team — Ole Miss — lost to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.

It’s safe to say Miami had sparkling success bringing in an injury-dinged, high-profile transfer quarterback for 2025.

Carson Beck, formerly the starter at Georgia, chose to play at Miami after injuring his elbow in the 2024 SEC Championship game. In 15 starts to date this season, Beck has 3,581 passing yards with 29 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

Leavitt spent the past two seasons at Arizona State. His 2025 season was cut short after seven games by a foot injury that required surgery.

Kiffin is in need of a starting QB. The position was filled last season by Garrett Nussmeier, who is out of eligibility, and sophomore Michael Van Buren Jr. He entered the portal and reportedly committed to South Florida.

Leavitt previously visited Kentucky. His interest in Texas Tech dissolved when the Red Raiders signed Brendan Sorsby of Cincinnati.

In 2024, Leavitt led Arizona State to the Big 12 title and an appearance in the College Football Playoff as he threw for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games.

In 2025, Leavitt completed 60.7% of his passes for 1,628 yards, 10 TDs and three picks before being shut down.

Leavitt started his college career in 2023 at Michigan State and attempted just 23 passes before transferring to the Sun Devils. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

–Field Level Media

Carson Beck score vaults No. 10 Miami past No. 6 Ole Miss in CFP semifinal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Carson Beck’s 3-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds remaining provided the winning points for Miami’s 31-27 College Football Playoff semifinal comeback win over Ole Miss in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz.

The Hurricanes (13-2) capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive to secure their first opportunity to play for a national championship since 2002. Miami, which has won five national championships, is seeking its first since 2001.

Miami, the No. 10 seed, won the Fiesta Bowl for the first time in five all-time appearances, and will also get to host when it faces either No. 5-seed Oregon or top-seed Indiana on Jan. 19th at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Ole Miss (13-2), the No. 6 seed, which persevered to reach the CFP semifinals despite its coach Lane Kiffin departing to become LSU’s coach in November, put together a go-ahead touchdown drive when quarterback Trinidad Chambliss connected with Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown. The Rebels added the two-point conversion when Chambliss found Caleb Odom in the back of the end zone.

But Beck, who completed 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, engineered Miami’s third scoring drive of 13 or more plays.

The Hurricanes took a 24-19 lead with 5:04 left when Malachi Toney caught a bubble screen, broke a tackle and sped his way to the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown.

The lead changed four times in the final seven minutes of the game after Lucas Carneiro’s fourth field goal from 21 yards put Ole Miss ahead 19-17.

After holding Ole Miss to minus-1 yard in the first quarter, Kewan Lacy broke through Miami’s defensive line and scored from 73 yards out to give the Rebels a 7-3 lead.

Lacy left the game due to a right hamstring issue, but he returned on the Rebels’ first drive of the second half. He finished with 103 yards on 11 carries.

The Hurricanes committed 10 costly penalties for 74 yards and Ole Miss sacked Beck four times while Miami’s prolific pass rush, which accumulated 46 sacks entering the game, only sacked Chambliss once.

Chambliss completed 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Dramatic CFP run to end for Miami or Ole Miss at Fiesta Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Miami and Ole Miss have provided two of the most compelling storylines of this year’s College Football Playoff.

But only one will earn the chance to play for a national title after the teams square off on Thursday night in the Fiesta Bowl in a CFP semifinal in Glendale, Ariz.

After making the 12-team field as the final at-large selection, the 10th-seeded Hurricanes (12-2) have defied the odds twice with dominant defensive performances in wins against seventh-seeded Texas A&M 10-3 in the first round and a 24-14 Cotton Bowl triumph against No. 2 Ohio State on Dec. 31.

The No. 6 Rebels (13-1), who will play Miami for the first time since 1951, drubbed 11th-seeded Tulane 41-10 and put together a stunning 39-34 comeback win over No. 3 seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal last Thursday.

The winner of Thursday’s game will face the winner of the Peach Bowl semifinal matchup Friday between top-seeded Indiana and fifth-seeded Oregon for the national championship on Jan. 19 in Miami.

Ole Miss continues to persevere and extend its best season in program history despite having its coaching staff in flux since head coach Lane Kiffin departed in November to become LSU’s head coach.

With Pete Golding promoted to head coach and multiple assistant coaches such as offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. remaining with the Rebels until their season ends, they have continued to find ways to extend their season.

Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge on Tuesday compared the situation to how they handled the uncertainty of coaches’ availability during the COVID pandemic in 2020.

“We always talk ahead basically after every game, me and Charlie (Weis Jr.) and Pete (Golding) have sat down and talked about the next week coming up and how we’re going to handle it,” Judge said. “And when he’s going to Baton Rouge, when he’s coming back, how we’re going to prep for the next week. Throughout the week, we’ve communicated in terms of all the what-ifs.”

Ole Miss is seeking its first national championship while Miami is one win away from playing for a potential sixth national title and its first since 2001.

Two of the biggest keys for the Rebels will be trying to slow down Miami’s rushing attack led by Mark Fletcher Jr. and keeping quarterback Trinidad Chambliss protected from the Hurricanes’ dominant pass rush led by defensive linemen Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor.

The Hurricanes have posted 12 sacks in two CFP games and lead the nation with 46 sacks overall over 14 games.

“We’re a D-line that puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback,” said Mesidor, who has 3 1/2 sacks in the playoffs. “Our DBs are big and fast and great players. I think we help each other out, 100%. We put pressure on the quarterback, have him make a mistake.”

Ole Miss is ranked No. 65 nationally in rushing defense (146.1 yards per game), and yielded 124 yards to Georgia last week. Fletcher ran for 172 of Miami’s 175 yards against Texas A&M and ran for 90 of the Hurricanes’ 153 yards on the ground against Ohio State last week.

“They have a lot of confidence in their run game,” Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery said Tuesday. “It’s very physical, and that’s somewhat of a model to dominate up front. And that’s our plan, to dominate their line of scrimmage and shut that down.”

Chambliss had one of the best games of his career against Georgia, completing 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Miami’s top defensive players are conscious of the challenge that awaits them with Chambliss’ playmaking ability.

“I definitely think it’s something everybody collectively as a defense has to focus on,” said Miami defensive back Keionte Scott, who had a key 72-yard interception return for a touchdown against Ohio State. “I don’t think you can put it on one or two position groups. When it gets to that point where it breaks down or it doesn’t break down, I think everybody doing their job (1 through 11) can erase a lot of those things.”

–Field Level Media