The stage is set, and the crowds have filled nearly every seat in State Farm Stadium as the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes take on the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels while a trip to the National Championship is on the line.

As players took the field, there was a rhythm to Miami’s defense that had been seen all season but seemed to be getting meaner and meaner by the minute. With Ole Miss electing to receive the ball first, there was no movement to get the Rebels moving the chains. 

Miami, with an offense that has been hit-or-miss, seemed to find a somewhat of a rhythm, but struggled to get beyond the third down. Eventually getting to the field goal range, kicker Carter Davis nailed it for three to put Miami in the lead, quieting down the very packed out red and blue stadium. 

Quickly starting quarterback Carson Beck began to find himself in a pickle during the second quarter after Kewan Lacy ran downfield for a 73-yard touchdown to edge ahead of Miami. It began to become a slippery downslope, and Miami was falling down very quickly, Beck not being able to locate an open option or overthrowing the ball became a concerning sight for the crowd watching. 

A very physically demanding first half, with hits that would ring bells, tackles that turned into slams, and one fired up crowd letting both teams know there is going to be a fight. Just when the Hurricanes seemed to be lost, 15 plays, 75 yards and seven minutes later, a scoring drive that would edge Miami ahead of the Rebels by a mere three points with less than 10 minutes left in the half. 

Striking again to keep Miami on its toes, Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carniero kicks the ball straight up the middle to tie the game up with just under five minutes in the half. The game that people knew would be close just got a whole lot closer, with a lot more injuries like running back Kewan Lacy from Ole Miss, Wide Receiver Malachi Toney from Miami and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten from Miami. 

It just kept getting louder in State Farm Stadium.

 A deep throw downfield by Beck was nabbed by Keelan Marion with a total of a 52-yard receiving touchdown to put Miami ahead by seven going into the half. One last 58-yard field goal by Ole Miss, to put another three on the board, but suddenly, the air inside the stadium became a lot stuffier for the Rebels, while the Hurricane nation breathed a sigh of relief.