After beating Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, 13-10, IU claimed the #1 seed in the college football playoffs.
This game was just the beginning of the journey, the start of IU’s playoff run. This run will continue tonight at 7:30, facing a BIG 10 opponent in the Oregon Ducks to see who goes to the National Championship. The College Football National Championship will be occurring on Monday, January 19th at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Last night, the first semi-final for the Championship happened in Glendale, Arizona, with the SEC’s Ole Miss Rebels vs the ACC’s Miami Hurricanes.
Down the whole stretch of the game, it was competitive. To start, the first quarter, Miami struck on its first possession, with a field goal after holding Ole Miss to its side of the field the whole time. But in the first minutes of the 2nd quarter, Ole Miss’s star running back, Kewan Lacy, hit the gap and went 73 yards to put Ole Miss up. Going into the half, it was 17-13 Miami.
The 3rd quarter was a slow one with the Rebels being the only ones putting points on the board, making it 17-16 going into the 3rd quarter. The fourth quarter is when everything picks up. Ole Miss takes their 2nd lead of the night, kicking another field goal, taking it up to 19-17. Miami, not going down without a fight, responds with a touchdown of its own, stealing back the lead. When the Rebels get the ball back, they waste no time marching down the field and getting a touchdown and a two-point conversion to give them a three-point margin going into the final minutes. Miami, being a relentless team, gave the Ole Miss defense a run for its money. Marching down the field, they scored in the final 25 seconds with QB Carson Beck running it in for possibly the biggest touchdown of his long tenure. You would think it’s over, but not for the Rebels. In 2 plays, they return the favor to Miami by getting down to the Miami 35 with mere seconds remaining, giving them time for one last play. Trinidad Chambliss says a prayer and throws it to the endzone, and it goes incomplete. Ending a great playoff run for the Rebels, but the Miami Hurricanes make their return to the National Championship for the first time since 2003.
Now, the Hurricanes are gonna be left to face two hard opponents coming from the BIG 10. Both Oregon and IU dominated their opponents, with Oregon defeating the Texas Tech Raiders in humiliating fashion, not letting them score a single point, with the final score being 23-0. On the other hand, the Hoosiers only let Alabama score 3 points the whole game, with the final score being 38-3. Last time these two teams played each other it was at Oregon, and IU won in a fashionable way with the final score being 30-20. Both of these teams have gotten better in their own respective ways with continuing their domination through the BIG 10 and the playoffs.
The game is set to be a great shootout like the last time IU and Oregon met. The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.. It will be taking place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. Tune in for a great game tonight.
