Mark Fletcher Jr. picked quite a day for the best game of his collegiate career.
The junior running back ran for a career-high 172 yards and broke off a career-long 56-yard run that set up No. 10 Miami’s game-winning touchdown in its 10-3 win over No. 7 Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon in College Station, Texas, in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The victory for the Hurricanes (11-2) came in their CFP debut and clinched their spot vs. No. 2 Ohio State (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl at Arlington, Texas on New Year’s Eve with a CFP semifinal berth on the line.
Fletcher ran for over half of those yards (91) in the fourth quarter and accounted for over half of Miami’s 278 yards of offense on 17 carries
“He’s just the heart and soul of our football team,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said of Fletcher. “He took over. He took over the ground game in a game where we were having a real tough time moving the football.”
Fletcher had 40 of Miami’s 69-first half yards on seven carries. He then carried the ball 75 yards on the first five plays of what became the Hurricanes’ game-winning drive before Malachi Toney took a jet sweep around the right corner for an 11-yard score with 1:44 left.
It was a redemptive moment for Toney, the ACC Rookie of the Year, who had fumbled on Miami’s prior possession.
Texas A&M (11-2) moved down to the Miami 5-yard line on the ensuing drive before Bryce Fitzgerald came away with his second interception of Marcel Reed with 27 seconds left to clinch the victory.
Reed completed 25 of 39 passes for 237 yards and the two interceptions, also rushing for a team-high 27 yards. Mario Craver had a game-high 92 receiving yards on seven catches for the Aggies in their CFP debut.
Three Texas A&M running backs combined for 50 yards on 18 carries.
“We lost the game at the line of scrimmage,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. “We couldn’t get the run game established. We became one-dimensional. Once we became one-dimensional, they were able to tee off. … You can’t play playoff football and not win the line of scrimmage.”
Miami quarterback Carson Beck completed 14 of 20 passes for a season-low 103 yards and a touchdown.
After an eventful but scoreless first half — the first in the 12-year history of the College Football Playoff — the Hurricanes broke through with a 21-yard field goal from Carter Davis on the opening drive of the second half to take a 3-0 lead.
The Aggies were staring down being shut out at home for the first time since 1971 before Randy Bond got the Aggies on the board with a 35-yard field goal with 8:03 left.
However, Texas A&M was largely unable to move the ball in the second half. After they moved the ball 30-plus yards on three of their first four drives, the Aggies moved the ball less than 20 yards on five of their final seven possessions.
Miami’s defense tied season highs with seven sacks and three forced turnovers for the game against a Texas A&M offense which had allowed 12 sacks all season.
“We were just all locked in. We were prepared for it,” Miami defensive end Akheem Mesidor said. “As long as they don’t score, they don’t win. As long as all 11 do their job, you’ll be alright. In the huddle, everybody was calm.”
While Texas A&M had far more success moving the ball in the first half, it squandered multiple scoring chances, scoring no points in three first-half trips across midfield. The latter two ended on a strip sack by Keionte Scott and a blocked field goal.
Miami finally took control for the first time after a slow start when Toney broke off a 55-yard punt return to the Aggies’ 25-yard line. However, Davis missed the 47-yard field goal to keep the game scoreless, adding another missed kick from 40 yards on the final play of the half.
That led to just the second scoreless first half in an FBS game this season.
It was also by far the lowest-scoring game in CFP history, with less than half as many points as the prior lowest, a 24-6 Alabama win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl after the 2017 season.
–Field Level Media
