Ole Miss Rebels HC Pete Golding gives his take on possible pass interference on final play vs. Miami

The Ole Miss Rebels’ season ended Thursday in the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 31-27 loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. The game’s final moments became the focus after Ole Miss’s last-second pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

On the final snap with six seconds remaining, Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss launched a 35-yard throw toward wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling in the end zone. Miami defensive back Ethan O’Connor made contact with Stribling as the ball arrived, but no pass interference was called. Addressing the contact on the play, interim head coach Pete Golding made it clear the outcome was not decided by officiating.

“Those situations, it’s tough to call them,” Golding said. “I mean, yeah, there was contact, but it happens a lot. That’s not why we lost the game. We just had a lot of opportunities late, but I mean, I think it shows you the resiliency of the team. They didn’t care if it was 18:15, they’re going there and give it all they got.”

"I mean, there was contact… happens all the time… that's not why we lost the game."

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding shares his thoughts on the final play. pic.twitter.com/OXqQs03Lir

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 9, 2026

Ole Miss entered the Fiesta Bowl ranked No. 6 and finished the season 13–2. The Hurricanes, ranked No. 10, also ended at 13–2 and advanced to the national championship game. The Rebels held a 27–24 lead with 3:18 remaining after Chambliss connected with Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown and completed a two-point conversion. However, Miami answered with a decisive drive, marching 75 yards on 15 plays while converting multiple third downs. Quarterback Carson Beck finished the possession with a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 18 seconds left to complete the Hurricanes’ comeback.

“It looks like you ran out of time, but we didn’t execute well enough,” Golding said. “We didn’t prepare well enough, and we didn’t coach well enough.”

On paper, Miami had the upper hand in the game’s most important aspects. The Hurricanes converted 11 of 19 third downs, compared with just 2 of 10 for Ole Miss. Miami also owned time of possession, holding the ball for 41 minutes and 22 seconds, while the Rebels possessed it for only 18 minutes and 38 seconds. On the ground, the Hurricanes rushed 51 times for 191 yards, with Mark Fletcher Jr. contributing 133 yards. Beck finished 23-of-37 passing for 268 yards, two passing touchdowns, one interception, and the game-winning rushing score.

Chambliss completed 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown in the loss. He finished the season with 3,937 passing yards and 30 total touchdowns, after beginning the year as a Division II transfer and backup before emerging as Ole Miss’ starter and finishing eighth in Heisman Trophy voting. Stribling led the Rebels’ receivers with five catches for 77 yards. Wright recorded three receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. Kewan Lacy added 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries for his seventh 100-yard rushing performance of the season, extending his single-season school record to 24 rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, TJ Dottery produced a team-high 11 tackles, and Kapena Gushiken intercepted a pass in the third quarter for his first interception with Ole Miss.

After Lane Kiffin departed for LSU on Nov. 30, Golding, promoted to head coach, lost his first game at the helm. Ole Miss had responded to that change by winning two playoff games before falling short in the semifinals, a run that Golding said was defined by how the roster responded to adversity rather than a single call at the goal line.

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