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Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck gave a valiant effort, but his team narrowly fell short in the College Football National Championship against the Indiana Hoosiers.
Most of the criticism against Beck focused on how he handled the defeat immediately afterward rather than his play on the court. Beck was seen leaving the field without meeting his opponents for a post-match handshake.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck is sacked by Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Beck did not explain why he ran off the field. But he appeared shaken on the final drive of the game in Miami. He was hit hard by an Indiana defender after throwing a pass, earning a rough passer call on the Hoosiers.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel suggested Beck might have been injured on the play.
“The other factor in that play was Carson Beck took a late hit from the Indiana defensive tackle, what was that, two or three plays before that?” » he said on the “College GameDay Podcast”. “And he didn’t look good. He didn’t look good just in the locker room. So I walked past him and said, ‘Hey Carson, how are you feeling after that hit.’ And he said, “My ears are still ringing,” and there were some accentuators that you won’t hear Rece Davis say in sentences, but you’ll probably hear Dan (Wetzel) and I say it almost every day.
DETAILS EMERGE AFTER MIAMI STAR IS SEEN TO THROW PUNCH TO INDIANA PLAYER AFTER LOSS OF NATIONAL TITLE
Miami quarterback Carson Beck passes against Indiana during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
“And he was clearly like his bell had rung, he was in pain. Obviously emotional as a result of the loss. But you have to think that hit had something to do with that performance. You get crushed like that illegally, you know. Now, he wasn’t hit in the head, but he clearly, it was like the upper chest.”
He was 19 of 32 with 232 passing yards, a touchdown pass and the game-sealing interception.
Beck then reflected on his lone season with the Hurricanes, calling it the best year of his life.
“And not because we made it to the national championship, or because we won a lot of football games or because we made great plays or things like that. Man, for me, my whole life changed,” he said.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck warms up before the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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“You know, 365 days ago, I was in a very dark place and trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a really difficult thing. There was a lot going on, mentally, physically, emotionally, to be able to fight and get through the roller coaster that is life.”
