Ole Miss didn’t lose because it lacked heart. The Rebels lost because Miami controlled the terms of the fight, and the stats line up perfectly with the three truths you called out. Couldn’t slow Fletcher. Didn’t heat up Beck. Lost Kewan Lacy’s full power early.
1) Ole Miss never slowed Mark Fletcher Jr. and Miami played from ahead of the chains
Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. finished with 22 carries for 133 yards, 6.0 yards per carry. That wasn’t just production, that was dominating. Miami ran the ball 51 times for 191 yards and owned the clock with 41:22 time of possession.
When one team runs the ball 51 times, they are not just running well, they are dictating the night. Miami stayed on schedule, stayed physical, and forced Ole Miss to defend long, draining drives. Fletcher consistently won early downs, which kept Miami out of obvious passing situations and shrank the defensive playbook.
2) The three man rush didn’t get home and Beck stayed comfortable
Your eyes were right and the box score confirms it. Ole Miss recorded just one sack on Carson Beck. With time to operate, Beck went 23 of 37 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, plus the late three yard rushing touchdown that sealed it.
The defining number is third down. Miami went 11 for 19 on third down. Ole Miss went 2 for 10. Third down is where pressure and disruption show up. Miami extended drives. Ole Miss could not get off the field. Dropping eight does not matter if the quarterback has time to reset his feet and throw on schedule.
3) Kewan Lacy’s explosion changed early momentum and the injury changed the ceiling
Kewan Lacy ripped off a 73 yard touchdown run early and finished with 11 carries for 103 yards, 9.4 yards per carry. It was a tone setter and a warning shot. But on that run, Lacy tweaked his hamstring and missed the rest of the first half.
When he returned in the second half, he was clearly limited. Still effective when called upon, but not the same explosive finisher. Ole Miss averaged 6.6 yards per play, but only ran 60 total plays because they simply did not have the ball, just 18:38 time of possession. Limited Lacy plus limited possessions is how you end up needing perfection late.
The scoreboard tells the same story
Ole Miss scored one touchdown and relied on field goals. Lucas Carneiro went 4 for 5. Miami finished drives with touchdowns. Final score Miami 31, Ole Miss 27.
Bottom line
Miami’s run game controlled the clock. Beck was rarely forced into chaos. Lacy’s early injury removed the knockout punch. That’s not opinion. That’s math.