SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Miami's Carson Beck is the prototypical power-program quarterback, a former four-star prospect with a massive NIL portfolio who knows what it's like to play on the big stage.
Mississippi's Trinidad Chambliss nearly gave up football, won a Division II national championship and has shined since being unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight.
Their paths will converge in the desert at Thursday's Fiesta Bowl, with a spot in the national championship game on the line.
“Only four teams have the opportunity to go play this week,” Beck said. “I'm super grateful for that.”
Beck has been building toward this since starring as a high schooler in Jacksonville, Florida.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound pro-style passer won a national championship in 2022 — the Bulldogs' second straight — as a backup to Stetson Bennett IV, learning as he went. Beck took those lessons onto the field, throwing for more than 7,000 yards and 52 touchdowns in the next two seasons while leading Georgia to 24 wins.
A knee injury kept Beck out of the Bulldogs' College Football Playoff loss against Notre Dame in early 2025 and, after initially declaring for the NFL draft, he opted to transfer to Miami, a school with a potent offense and plenty of NIL cash to throw around.
He's been a perfect fit.
Poised and steady, Beck has thrown for 3,313 yards and 27 touchdowns on 74% passing with 10 interceptions. He led the Hurricanes (12-2, CFP No. 10 seed) to wins over Texas A&M and Ohio State in the playoffs and is 36-5 as a starter as he winds down his college career.
“He's very experienced, he's been successful everywhere he's been,” Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said. “He's always had his teams competing at a championship level and being in the playoffs.”
Chambliss' career took a different trajectory.
With no Division I offers out of high school, the quarterback from Grand Rapids, Michigan, opted to play at Ferris State, where he redshirted the first two seasons — the second due to respiratory issues. He considered transferring to a Division III school to give college basketball a try, but chose to give football one more shot.
Good decision.
Chambliss led the Bulldogs to the Division II national championship in 2024, leading to offers from numerous Division I programs. He chose to play at Ole Miss, figuring he would be a backup but at least have the DI experience.
Chambliss' fate changed when starter Austin Simmons went down with an ankle injury during the second game of the season. Chambliss took off and kept going, throwing for 353 yards against Arkansas in his first start and playing so well he kept the starting job once Simmons was healthy.
The dual-threat quarterback put pressure on defenses all season, rocketing passes into tight windows with his strong arm while extending plays with his legs.
Chambliss has thrown for 3,660 yards and 21 touchdowns with just three interceptions on 66% passing, adding 520 yards and eight more scores rushing. He led the Rebels (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed) to a win over Tulane in the CFP opening round and picked apart Georgia in the quarterfinals with 362 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-34 win.
“He’s a limitless football player,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “Certainly, you could see on the sideline and watching some of the stuff on TV, his leadership skills and the way people gravitate to him. He’s had a tremendous impact on the program and plenty of respect for him.”
So has Beck, setting up a showdown in the desert.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck works out prior to the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Mukesh Awasti was all set to leave for Australia to pursue a degree in civil engineering on a sunny day in September, but instead he joined a youth revolt against corruption in Nepal and lost his leg after being shot by security forces.
Lying on a hospital bed at the National Trauma Center in the capital Kathmandu where his leg was amputated, 22-year-old Awasti said he regrets giving up so much for the little that has been achieved after the sacrifices of so many people.
Violent protests in Kathmandu that began Sept. 8 left 76 people dead and more than 2,300 injured before the demonstrations fueled by “Gen Z” activists forced the appointment on Sept. 12 of Nepal's first female prime minister, Sushila Karki, a retired Supreme Court judge who has promised fresh elections in March.
Since then, the interim government and its leader have come under criticism from many of the people who took part in the protests and expected major changes in the Himalayan nation.
“I am regretting my decision to take part in the protest because they have been zero achievement from the new government we brought which has failed us,” Awasti said. “There should be end to corruption which has not happened and the people who opened fire on the demonstrations should have been arrested but that that has also not happened either.”
So far the government's anti-graft agency has filed one significant corruption case that does not include key political figures. The politicians accused of corruption by protesters are preparing to contest upcoming elections and there has been no case filed against leaders who were in power when protesters were injured in September.
Dozens of demonstrators, including some who were injured in September, recently have protested against the government they brought to power. These protests outside the prime minister's office has been held in the past few weeks with police forced to break some of them.
“We are back here in the street because the government has failed to live up to their promise. There are so many families of those who lost their lives and many who were injured but what has the government done? Nothing," said Suman Bohara, who walks with crutches on a shattered right foot. "We are here because we are compelled to.”
Tens of thousands of mostly young demonstrators first gathered in Kathmandu on Sept. 8 to protest widespread corruption, lack of opportunities, employment and poor governance, which was triggered by a ban on social media. They broke through police barricades and attempted to enter parliament, only to be shot by security forces.
A day later, the protests spread across the country. Angry mobs burned down the offices of the prime minister and president, police stations and the homes of top politicians who were forced to flee on army helicopters. The army eventually stepped in to restore control and negotiations ended with Karki's appointment and the key task of conducting parliamentary elections.
The government has said it is determined to meet that goal.
“As the world is looking forward to a smooth change in government through our elections on March 5, I want to assure that we will deliver these elections,” Karki said. “Our preparations are almost complete, and the security environment has improved a lot with our security apparatus is assured enough.”
Different demands have emerged from separate groups among the young protesters including direct election of prime ministers, scrapping the present constitution and jailing all previous politicians. There is no single leader or group but rather several individuals who have claimed to represent Nepal’s voice in the Gen Z movement.
The lack of clarity among the protesters since September has been a key hurdle in Nepal, according to analysts.
“All the confusion right now in Nepal is because of the lack of clarity among the Gen Z groups on what they are demanding and how the government was formed,” said Abeeral Thapa, principal of Polygon College of Journalism and Mass Communications in Kathmandu.
Some are beginning to oppose the planned elections in March, saying their protest was not intended only to bring about elections for a new Parliament, while their demands to end corruption and arrest all the corrupt politicians should be fulfilled immediately.
Other groups seek elections that would bring new lawmakers who would perform all these tasks.
It has not been clear how powerful the government is and the limitations on a mandate to fulfill all the demands from the people who brought the interim leaders to office. When appointing the interim government, the president mentioned that the key purpose was to conduct elections for Parliament.
Thapa noted Nepal’s constitution does not have a specific provision for forming an interim government. A line in the document reads, “The main duty of the President shall be to abide and protect the constitution.”
“The protests were not well planned to begin with, they began with controlling corruption and end the ban on social media,” Thapa said. “But in reality what happened was like they had gone deer hunting but ended up killing a tiger, with the protest taking a major turn with the government collapsing.”
It remains doubtful the promised election in March can be held, but there are no alternatives to polls, Thapa said.
Members of Gen Z protest groups are joined by injured victims and family members of those who died during September protests at a candlelight vigil outside the Parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
FILE - Nepal's new Prime Minister Sushila Karki waits as ministers prepare to take the oath of office administered by Nepali President Ram Chandra Poudel at the presidential building in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
FILE - Protesters celebrate at the parliament building after it was set on fire during a protest against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Prakash Timalsina, File)
Mukesh Awasti, 22, who took part in September protests against corruption in Nepal and lost his leg after being shot by security forces, lies on a hospital bed during treatment in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Nepalese police detain a young protester during an anti-government rally in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Dec. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
