Elija Lofton injury update: Miami TE carted to locker room after spitting up blood following hit in Fiesta Bowl

Miami tight end Elija Lofton was carted back to the locker room in the first half of Thursday’s Fiesta Bowl. He was also seen spitting up blood on the sidelines following a big hit, according to the radio broadcast.

Lofton hauled in a 15-yard pass from Carson Beck when he took a huge hit from Ole Miss defender Wydett Williams. He headed to the sidelines, but later went back to the locker room for further evaluation.

Lofton has appeared in every game for Miami this year. He entered Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal with 22 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns as part of his sophomore season.

Points came at a premium in the first quarter of Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl. Miami got on the board first with a field goal while the Hurricanes defense held Ole Miss to -1 total yard through the first quarter.

But out of the quarter break, Kewan Lacy made his presence known. He broke free for a 73-yard rushing touchdown, and in the blink of an eye, put Ole Miss ahead 7-3 on the very first play of the second quarter. It marks the longest played allowed by Miami all year.

Miami responded with a touchdown from CharMar Brown to go back on top, 10-7, while Ole Miss added a field goal to tie it back up at 10-10. But the Hurricanes got the explosive play they had been looking for when Carson Beck hit Keelan Marion for a 52-yard touchdown, putting Miami ahead once again, 17-10.

The Hurricanes also dominated time of possession through the early part of the game. As of the two-minute timeout in the first half, Miami took up 22:09 of game time while Ole Miss’ offense was on the field for just 5:50. Of course, Lacy’s touchdown impacted that since it was on the first play of a drive.

Miami secured a spot in the Fiesta Bowl by taking down Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl thanks to a strong performance on defense. The running game also led the charge on offense, led by Mark Fletcher Jr., as the Hurricanes took down the Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium.

Ole Miss, meanwhile, won a thriller over Georgia at the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. The two teams combined for 30 points in the fourth quarter, and Lucas Carneiro’s field goal in the final seconds was the difference to send the Rebels to the CFP semifinal.