Cinderella stories are what make college playoffs in any sport, fun to watch. Ole Miss is the ultimate Cinderella story, being left in the carriage outside the ball by who they thought was Prince Charming, for one of the ugly step sisters back at the house.
Much like that Disney classic, all stories come to an end. This one will too, whether it is Thursday at the Fiesta Bowl or January 19th down in Miami. The last two playoff games did not really warrant a CFB simulation because we have already done those sims this year.
Nonetheless, we are back. So let’s see how EA Sports sees the Miami vs Ole Miss College Football Playoff semifinal.
Gameflow
What’s the phrase? “Don’t let the Rebs get hot?” Sean McDonough even said Trinidad Chambliss was so hot against Georgia he had hit three three’s in a row on NBA Jam. Classic reference. Well, the Rebs stayed hot to start this one out.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter thanks to two rushing touchdowns behind Kewan Lacy and a touchdown toss by Trinidad Chambliss. Girard Pringle Jr. had the lone score on the ground for Miami in the quarter.
It’s always a good time on island time and the Rebs were feeling themselves after one. Unfortunately, Miami made some adjustments and came storming back in the second. Carson Beck threw two touchdowns to tie it up before Lucas Carneiro kicked a field goal before the half, giving the Rebs a 24-21 lead at the break.
Lucas Carneiro did the rest of the scoring for Ole Miss as they only managed two more field goals in the second half. The Miami defense adjusted in a major way after that first quarter. Miami only managed three themselves in the third, making it a 27-24 contest heading into the fourth. CARDIAC REBS!
Sadly, Carson Beck threw two more touchdowns in the final frame, giving Miami the 38-30 victory, advancing to the National Championship against Indiana.
Story of the Stats
Ole Miss ran more plays and had 250 rushing yards to Miami’s 153, but that was all the Rebels did better at. Carson Beck threw for 354 yards while Chambliss only completed 51% of his passes for 211 yards. The Rebels had four rushes that went longer than 20 yards, leading to a 7.6 yard per carry average, led by Kewan Lacy’s 121 yards on 16 carries.
Miami senior receiver Tony Johnson had all three touchdowns receptions to go along with 116 yards, while dynamic freshman Malachi Toney had 90 yards on five catches. The story was Ole Miss could only get Beck down for one sack while Rueben Bain Jr. beat Diego Pounds three times for a sack and Raul Aguirre Jr. added a fourth.
There were no turnovers from either team but Ole Miss was forced to punt six times to the Hurricanes’ five. A stat that ultimately mattered as Ole Miss lost by one possession.
But remember folks, EA has gotten Ole Miss games WRONG more often than not this season of simulations. So here’s to them getting it wrong again and seeing you all in Miami!
