Ole Miss vs. Miami: Did refs miss pass-interference penalty on Fiesta Bowl's game-ending Hail Mary?

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters

The College Football Playoff semifinal between Ole Miss and Miami came down to one final Hail Mary. When the dust cleared, a few people seemed to think the officials had missed a key penalty.

With six seconds remaining and down 31-27, Ole Miss found itself at Miami's 35-yard line and had a chance for one last punch in what was already a wild ending. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got the ball to the end zone, but wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling could only get a single, flailing hand on it as it landed.

The incomplete pass sealed a win for Miami, which will play Indiana or Oregon in the national championship game next week.

However, quite a few fans noticed some hard contact in the scramble for the ball. Stribling definitely noticed it, as he holding up his hands after the play and wondering why a flag wasn't coming. 

Further replay showed that Miami defensive back Ethan O'Connor had his hand in Stribling's collar as the ball arrived, and that Stribling was doing something similar to O'Connor. 

Penalties are rarely called on Hail Marys, as both receivers and defenders are often doing whatever they can to be at the top of the heap when the ball reaches end zone. ESPN rules expert Bill LeMonnier believed the officials made the right decision with a no-call:

“We have what we call mutual combat. Both players are getting their hands on each other. We’re going to leave that alone 99% of the time. I want to see one of them get a true, true advantage.”

Had defensive pass-interference been called, it would have been another, untimed play for Ole Miss at Miami's 20-yard line. That would have still been a tough get, but it was better than what reality offered.

The play ends a chaotic but ultimately successful season for the Rebels, who went 11-1 in the regular season, beat Tulane and Georgia in the first two rounds of the College Football Playoffs and lost head coach Lane Kiffin to LSU in the process. That stand-off over Kiffin's exit threatened to overshadow the postseason for the program, but the players and new head coach Pete Golding still managed to play at a high level.

The loss is also a tough break for Kiffin, too. Had his old program won, it would have been another $250,000 for him in LSU's incredible bonus-matching agreement.