Freshman running back Fletcher a bright spot in Canes’ loss
RALEIGH, N.C.
Mark Fletcher Jr. earned a career-best 115 yards but couldn’t capture the elusive yard he needed most in Miami’s eventual 20-6 loss to NC State at CarterFinley Stadium late Saturday night.
Down by four points at the start of the fourth quarter, Miami entered the red zone and began to feed Fletcher, who rushed up the middle and caught a short pass before the Hurricanes found themselves in a fourth-and-1 on NC State’s 3-yard line.
Miami took a timeout. Fletcher said the message was “get it in the end zone.” On the following shotgun play for Fletcher, the freshman running back was met by the Wolfpack’s Shyheim Battle and stopped — a yard short of a first down.
Fletcher briefly protested the call, lumbered off the field, took off his helmet and sat on the bench. As he began to fidget with his gloves, a member of the coaching staff came over and tussled his hair. With only six points on the board at the end of the night for Miami, that was Fletcher’s only consolation.
In his first career start, Fletcher accounted for more yards on the ground than all of the Wolfpack’s running backs combined. Still, this effort was futile, as the Wolfpack handed the Hurricanes their third loss of the season.
“I feel like I played great,” Fletcher said. “The O-line made a lot of openings for me. We didn’t get the result we wanted, and we just gotta go back to work.”
For a Miami team that barely pulled off back-toback overtime victories before dropping to NC
State, Fletcher has been one of the few bright spots for the Hurricanes. Last week, he ran three straight times in overtime to clinch bowl eligibility for the Hurricanes and propel UM to a 29-26 win over Virginia.
When asked about earning the start Saturday, Fletcher broke out in a grin.
“I worked hard,” Fletcher said. “I earned it.”
While his dominant performance this week wasn’t rewarded with a win, it’s notable considering Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke’s recent struggles. On Saturday, the fourth-year junior recorded just 21 completions on 38 throws — a season-low 55 percent completion rate — and three interceptions. This is the second straight game Van Dyke hasn’t thrown a touchdown.
When Miami’s offense wasn’t producing on Saturday, Fletcher — who head coach Mario Cristobal said is “beyond his years” — willed his team down the field. The freshman consistently broke multiple tackles and manhandled defenders en route to averaging 5 yards per carry.
“He’s a stud,” Van Dyke said. “He did a great job tonight running hard, being physical, making some tough runs.”
And at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the young “stud” had a chance to put Miami ahead. But instead, Cristobal said NC State’s “manned-up” alignment freed up a hitter inside, causing Fletcher to get “scrunched up” on the crucial fourth-down play. On NC State’s subsequent drive, the Wolfpack scored a touchdown to go up by 11 points.
Fletcher was asked after the game what his reaction was to the stop. He paused and reflected for a second.
“Nothing really,” he said, later adding, “I was just trying to finish the game at that point.”
That exact mentality is why Miami defensive tackle Branson Deen calls him “our workhorse.”
“He’s a kid that’s always in a good mood no matter what,” Deen said. “He’s just grateful to be here.”
Deen warned Tuesday of the need for Miami to not “let off the gas” in November. While the Hurricanes are currently sputtering at best, Fletcher may just be the engine Miami needs to power through the end of the season.