After the adversity that plagued it at the end of the regular season, Ole Miss gained the unanimous respect of fans for its College Football Playoff semifinal run. Not many gave the Rebels a chance after losing head coach Lane Kiffin, but they made it further than most expected them to before ultimately succumbing to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
Head coach Pete Golding blamed himself for the loss after the game, saying he did not have Ole Miss prepared enough for what Miami brought to the table. Golding believes the Hurricanes' physicality exploited the Rebels' lack thereof, leading to the vast time of possession discrepancy.
Golding's admission is admirable and a big reason why the fan base has accepted him so quickly. It is just impossible to blame someone in his third game as a head coach for losing in the College Football Playoff semifinals, particularly under the circumstances he faced.
Once it is all said and done, fans could look back on Ole Miss' run as one of the most difficult in College Football Playoff history. Most of their coaching staff has been pulling double duty the entire postseason after following Lane Kiffin to LSU, making the team's second-round win over Georgia and its gutsy four-point loss to Miami even more impressive.
At the end of the day, Ole Miss fans have to be happy with what this team accomplished. That still does not make digesting the defeat any easier, especially when there were a few avoidable mistakes that directly impacted the loss.
DT Zxavian Harris
If Ole Miss wanted any chance of pulling off the upset against Miami, it had to make its presence known defensively. The Rebels' defense has not been its strength all season, but it did what it was asked of, sacking Carson Beck four times and winning the turnover battle.
Ole Miss' pass-rush showed up, but its run defense got borderline embarrassed by a much more physical Miami offensive line. Golding took the blame for it, but his team was simply outmatched.
However, if there was one matchup up front Ole Miss could have counted on, it was star defensive tackle Zxavian Harris. The 2026 NFL Draft prospect has been a game-wrecker all season, but he was almost invisible in the Fiesta Bowl, accounting for just two tackles.
Harris recorded two pressures in the loss, but that was his only impact on the game. He was never able to shed any blocks and plug the gap in the middle that Miami went to all game.
The Rebels did not make life easy on themselves, missing 13 tackles in the game, according to Pro Football Focus. Harris accounted for one of those misses. Fatigue would seemingly be a factor, but many of their missed tackles came early in the game.
Miami would never have abandoned the run, but it would have found life much more difficult if Harris had been more of a factor in the trenches. Anybody who was not familiar with his game and watched the Fiesta Bowl would have a hard time believing that Harris is a top-10 interior defensive line NFL Draft prospect.
Ole Miss secondary
Beating Miami is all about stopping the run game, but Ole Miss made it easy for Carson Beck and the Hurricanes to beat it through the air at times. While the Rebels' secondary has occasionally struggled throughout the year, they might not have had a worse performance than they did in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Ole Miss consistently busted coverages, which led to an easy Keelan Marion touchdown late in the first half and a few more chunk plays throughout the game. As bad as that was, it could have easily been worse, as Beck missed several other would-be big plays due to blown assignments.
Tackling was another key issue for Ole Miss' defensive backs in the loss. The secondary accounted for four of the team's 13 missed tackles, which included Mark Fletcher's viral trucking of cornerback Antonio Kite to set the tone early.
Ole Miss was still in position to win the game at the end, but the secondary crumbled when it was needed most. From a crucial Jaylon Braxton face mask penalty to soft coverages allowing easy completions over the middle, the Rebels' back unit was almost helpless on Miami's game-winning drive.
Safety Kapena Gushiken was able to secure an interception in the third quarter to give Ole Miss the turnover battle. The play saved a score, but it was entirely made by defensive end Kam Franklin, who deflected the pass at the line of scrimmage.
Ole Miss' secondary had been subpar all season, and it ended up costing them a trip to the National Championship Game.
OL Delano Townsend
Trinidad Chambliss was Ole Miss' hero down the stretch, but it was Kewan Lacy's 73-yard touchdown that broke the game open for the Rebels early. That play would not have been made possible without guard Delano Townsend, who set the key block to spring Lacy free.
Townsend's block on that play, a pinch down on nose guard David Blay Jr. before taking out the linebacker, was one of the best made by a Rebel in the game. Unfortunately, that would be about the only good thing the sophomore did in the game.
Aside from that key block, Townsend struggled to get leverage for the run game. He was even less efficient in pass protection, allowing a team-high five pressures, although only one led to a sack. If it were any quarterback other than the elusive Chambliss behind him, Townsend's errors would have been much more noticeable.
Considering Ole Miss nearly abandoned the run in the second half, Townsend's struggles in that regard were obvious, even to those without a keen eye for blocking details. He received a team-worst 27.2 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus by the end of the night.
Chambliss found his rhythm late in the game, but Ole Miss could have won the game with a better performance in the first half. The offensive line, particularly Townsend, just did not let the offense remain on the field long enough for that to happen.
