Miami WR Keelan Marion blames self for Carson Beck interception: 'All on me'
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Miami football’s hopes of what would have been the program’s first national title in 24 years vanished in an instant on Monday, Jan. 19 with a Carson Beck interception in the final minute of a 27-21 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff championship game.
While Beck received a fair share of criticism for the turnover, one of his teammates took responsibility for the mistake.
Hurricanes redshirt-senior wide receiver Keelan Marion told reporters after the game that he didn’t even know Beck had thrown the pass, allowing Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe to rise up for an uncontested catch to seal the victory for his team.
“I got to look for the ball and make that play for him,” Marion said. “So that’s all on me.”
Two takeaways from the Miami locker room.
*Miami WR Keenan Marion had tears in his eyes and a towel over his head. “ I didn’t even know he had threw the ball.” He admitted it was his “mistake” and said: “I got to look for the ball and make that play for him. So that’s all on…— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 20, 2026
Beck’s miscue came as Miami was in Indiana territory, mounting what the Hurricanes hoped would be a game-winning touchdown drive. On first-and-10 from the Hoosiers’ 41-yard line with 51 seconds remaining, Beck floated a deep ball to Marion. But with safety Amare Ferrell playing deep on the left side of the field to prevent a potential touchdown, Sharpe was able to play off Marion and secure what appeared to be an underthrown ball from Beck at the 14.
INDIANA PICKS IT, THE HOOSIERS ARE ON THE VERGE OF A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP‼️ pic.twitter.com/YFTgZUVC4x
— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2026
In each of the Hurricanes’ three losses during the 2025 season, a Beck interception was their final offensive play of the game, all of which came with his team in a position to take the lead.
A Georgia transfer in his first season with the program, Beck had struggled with interceptions at times during the 2025 campaign. He threw four picks in an Oct. 17 loss to Louisville and tossed two more two weeks later in a loss at SMU. Since then, though, he had done a much better job of avoiding mistakes, throwing 16 touchdowns and only three interceptions in Miami’s final eight games.
Marion had been one of Beck’s favorite targets throughout the season. His 57 receptions and 746 receiving yards ranked him second on the team in both categories, behind only freshman phenom Malachi Toney. After posting seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in a playoff semifinal win against Mississippi, Marion was relatively quiet in the championship game, with only one reception for 6 yards.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami WR ‘didn’t even know’ Carson Beck threw ball on game-ending INT
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