Ole Miss Really Wanted a Flag on Final Hail Mary Attempt vs. Miami

Miami punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff national championship game with a dramatic win over Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.

It was a back-and-forth affair that saw four lead changes in the fourth quarter, with Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck playing hero in the end, scrambling for the score that would prove the game-winner with just 18 seconds left on the clock.

But to their credit, Ole Miss made the most of those 18 seconds, working two quick completions to get all the way down to the Miami 35-yard line for one snap to go to the end zone.

Trinidad Chambliss threw up one ball for all the marbles, but De’Zhaun Stribling couldn’t come down with the catch. Game over, Canes win.

THE LAST PLAY THAT SENT MIAMI TO THE CFP NATTY 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xHXFD1iR2B
— ESPN (@espn) January 9, 2026

Officials are always hesitant to throw a flag on the final play of the game, and both Stribling and his defenders were battling hard for position, but upon further review, there sure was a lot of contact on this one.

Just the defender doing his job.... No flag on the final play of the game pic.twitter.com/0SfjgZSNR9
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 9, 2026

The Ole Miss sideline sure wanted a flag, but they didn’t get one. Online, some fans expressed frustration with lack of a call.

PASS INTERFERENCE https://t.co/jbOO9a8npB
— Provolone you gone (@Reesenvision) January 9, 2026

How is that not PI? https://t.co/McGZq17CtJ
— gleef.win (@TheGleef) January 9, 2026

https://t.co/XUuhR8JMo9 pic.twitter.com/yD1DvTDOrr
— David (@davidoneal0) January 9, 2026

Looks like a DPI at the end, tho…..#MIAvsMISS #CFBPlayoff https://t.co/9lxJkc1X7J
— Jamar Lewis (@JMar_lewis) January 9, 2026

Again, the refs are usually going to let this one go, especially on Hail Marys, and you can understand that the officials would prefer to keep that one in their pocket. At the same time, it’s easy to see why Ole Miss fans were incensed with the lack of a flag.

But in the end, the game is final. Miami is moving on to the national championship, where they will host either Indiana or Oregon with a title on the line on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium.