The Ole Miss Rebels will play the Miami Hurricanes in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff after upsetting the Georgia Bulldogs
Few gave the Ole Miss Rebels a chance considering what they endured this season.
In the end, they overcome all the adversity to upset the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. It sets up a date with the Miami Hurricanes next week in the Fiesta Bowl, with the winner advancing to the title game.
The Rebels remain alive despite coach Lane Kiffin departing late in the season to take the LSU Tigers job. He was replaced by Pete Golding.
"We're not focused on destiny or anything like that," quarterback Trinidad Chambliss said. "We just want to play ball and have fun. A lot of people did doubt us -- before the season, then when our coach left. But we're just having fun, and I think that shows."
Chambliss threw for 362 yards and led a drive that set up the winning field goal in the fourth quarter. The key completion was a 40-yard strike to De'Zhaun Stribling on a huge 3rd-and-5.
"To be around these dudes on a daily basis, I don't want it to end," Golding said. "It's definitely special. ... I know everybody else was doubting us this season, but the goal this season, why Trinidad came, was to compete for a championship. That's something we're going to do around here on a consistent basis."
The Rebels won the rematch after losing to the Bulldogs during the regular season.
"They ran the same plays, and they ran them well," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "There's several plays where they've got the quarterback running around out there and he makes unbelievable plays. The play to [Kewan] Lacy on our sideline where we blitz a corner and he does a complete circle around [David] Lalaian, and then he hits a deep over on Ellis [Robinson IV] and scrambled. Their scrambles were explosive, and you think about Gunner's [Stockton] scrambles that he had that were explosive. Both quarterbacks made some plays with their legs. A lot of credit to that kid and their offense."
The upset spoiled the chance of Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck facing his former team. Last year Beck was at Georgia before entering the transfer portal. The Hurricanes are now attempting to earn their first berth in a national-title game since 2003 when they lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes, a loss they avenged in the quarterfinals.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of MiamiRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com