One game away from the National Championship, the Miami Hurricanes are on their way to Arizona to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in the Fiesta Bowl. In a battle of two teams that have been underestimated all playoffs, this might be the biggest challenge for this Hurricanes defense.
When Ole Miss lost head coach Lane Kiffin after being hired away by LSU, many thought the Rebels and their explosive offense would struggle without the leading man. Since then, Charlie Weiss Jr. and their talented group of explosive players have been firing on all cylinders.
While some of the Rebels’ staff might now have to leave to join Kiffin during the height of the transfer portal, Weiss is still expected to continue running the offense for the remainder of their playoff run.
This offense continuing to thrive has led Ole Miss to where it is. Explosive and deep with playmakers, everything starts with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
When the lights were the brightest in the Sugar Bowl last week, Chambliss put on one of the greatest playoff performances in the CFP era.
With 362 passing yards and two touchdowns, Chambliss made magic happen all day against the Bulldogs. He won from both inside the pocket with touch and accuracy and outside of the pocket using his athleticism to escape and make several ridiculous on-the-run throws.
Without a prolific pass rush, Georgia was never able to corral Chambliss, and he was able to burn them when it mattered most, leading the Rebels to a 39-34 victory.
Chambliss has several playmakers he can get the football to. Ole Miss has five pass catchers with over 500 receiving yards. Last week, two of Chambliss’s downfield threats, receivers Harrison Wallace and Deshaun Stribling, went for over 100 yards each.
While the Hurricanes might not have to worry about a singular guy on the level of Jeremiah Smith, the depth of the room and the way Chambliss can find these guys when the play breaks down means that Miami’s secondary needs to stay locked in all game.
That could be harder given the injuries the cornerback’s room has received in recent weeks, but recent reports show promising news for Miami.
Cornerback OJ Frederique went down against Ohio State, and despite the situation looking rough given the number of injuries he’s dealt with this year, he’s listed as probable going into this game. Cornerback Damari Brown, who’s missed the last two games for Miami, is now questionable. When asked about their health, along with defensive lineman Ahmad Moten, coach Mario Cristobal was pretty positive.
“Progressing steadily,” Cristobal said. “I would say day-to-day, and we’ll have a better idea in the next two or three days, but we feel like they’re progressing at a pretty good rate.”
As for Moten, getting him back would be huge for Miami to continue having depth in the defensive line group that is going to be tested on the ground as well. Running back Kewan Lacy has 1464 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on the year. He is a physical running back averaging 3.33 yards after contact and forcing 88 missed tackles on the year.
Miami has to swarm and bring him down consistently in the backfield. That being said, the Ole Miss offensive line is susceptible to being disrupted in the run game. Only averaging 1.6 yards before contact, Miami is going to have opportunities to force short or no-gain runs. Miami’s linebackers Mohamed Toure and Wesley Bissainthe need to wrap up and bring Lacy down when those chances get there and try and keep this Rebels offense one-dimensional.
If UM’s defense can force Ole Miss into airing out the football, Miami needs to make sure it can bring Chambliss down. Ole Miss has allowed one of the lowest sack rates in college football, and that’s helped by Chambliss getting the ball out on a fast 2.59 average time to throw.
Where teams have gotten Miami in points this year by going up tempo and using a quick passing game to neutralize the pass rush and tire them out. While that’s not sustainable for a full game, it could help Ole Miss get going and get the Hurricanes defense off balance.
One of the best ways Miami could neutralize the Ole Miss offense is by keeping them off the field, and Miami’s run game could be the key. In the last two games, Miami’s rushing attack has thrived, averaging 164 yards on five yards per carry in the playoffs. Against one of the best rushing defenses in college with Ohio State, the Hurricanes, when they needed it most, were able to ice the game with the rushing attack.
Ole Miss this year has been susceptible to the run, allowing 146 rushing yards per game. While the run defense has been gashed at times, the defensive line also leads the nation in run stops with 140 and tackles for loss or no gain with 52.
This was seen heavily in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. Georgia built its lead, averaging almost five yards per carry and 85 yards in the first half. In the second half, the Rebels held Georgia to 39 second-half rushing yards on 2.1 per carry.
Defensive tackles Will Echoes and Zxavian Harris are monsters in the middle. If Miami’s offensive interior can move those guys back, Mark Fletcher, and whether the next guy is Marty Brown or Girard Pringle, Miami’s running attack could be huge in deciding this game.
In the case Ole Miss is able to get some stops on the run, Carson Beck could be asked to do the most he has this entire playoff. The Hurricanes offensive line has held up spectacularly all playoff and should be at an advantage again. The Rebels rarely blitz and don’t have the best pass rush so Miami should be able to give Beck time to make throws.
With time, Beck could finally start to hit on some explosives downfield. While Ole Miss has been great in preventing such plays, it could be forced to come down to stop the short passing game, Beck has been opportunistic in the deep shots he’s taken and there have been some close opportunities he just hasn’t connected on yet this playoff.
The biggest goal for Miami on Thursday is the team’s ability to dominate the line of scrimmage at the level of the trenches. If Chambliss has time and the Hurricanes can’t get to him or keep him off the field on offense, it could be a long day for Miami. But, if it can dominate the trenches on both sides of the ball and limit the explosive plays, Chambliss is able to make outside of the pocket, the Hurricanes could be hoisting up the Fiesta Bowl trophy with a national championship at home on the horizon.
Kickoff at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. is set for Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7:30pm EST.
