The Miami Hurricanes‘ passing game drew a lot of attention this offseason.
How would Carson Beck recover from his elbow injury, and how would he perform in the Miami offense? Did UM have enough talented receivers to replace all the players who left after the 2024 campaign?
All the while, the Hurricanes’ talented group of running backs flew under the radar.
Through two games, Miami has run for 333 yards and five scores, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Although the numbers are not near the top of the national rankings, some of them came in a season-opener against a high-level Notre Dame defense. The Hurricanes then sat their starters for most of the second half of their Week 2 win over Bethune-Cookman.
“The three guys that we’re riding with the most, you could pick one out of a hat and put him in a game,” UM offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “And I feel as comfortable with one of them as I do with all three of them, and they all root for each other. It’s a good room. It’s a room that needs to be deep because of the nature in which we play.”
Mark Fletcher Jr., the Hurricanes’ third-year running back, has been Miami’s top running back this season. The American Heritage alum was UM’s No. 2 running back the past two seasons, and he is continuing to grow this year.
“Mark’s been through a ton, and he just keeps getting better,” Dawson said. “And his attitude keeps very steady. Just an unbelievable character kid, but he’s always there when you need.”
Fletcher, who is listed at 6 foot 2 and 225 pounds, has 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ first two games. He is averaging 5.8 yards per carry, which is nearly half a yard better than he averaged last year. Pro Football Focus gives Fletcher an 81.5 run grade, which is second in the ACC and 18th nationally among running backs with 10 or more carries.
“Very physical runner, really good at pass protection, tremendous leader,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said after Fletcher scored two touchdowns against Bethune-Cookman.” … You can’t say enough great things.”
Miami also expects to get a boost in its running game this week. Sophomore Jordan Lyle, a St. Thomas Aquinas alum, is expected to return for Saturday’s game against USF after sitting out last week’s game against Bethune-Cookman and playing only 10 snaps in Miami’s Week 1 win against Notre Dame.
“We run really hard. We take pride in that,” Fletcher said. “We try to make it as hard as possible on defenses. And when you have a duo, who can do it like that, (with) some fresh legs, it’s hard to defend.
With Lyle out last week, Miami brought in transfer running back Marty Brown. Brown rushed for 35 yards in the win over Bethune-Cookman and scored his second touchdown with UM.
Freshman running back Girard Pringle Jr. also got in on the action, scoring his first career touchdown last week.
“I was extremely happy. I made sure that I was one of the first people to congratulate him,” Fletcher said. “Some coaches (were) ripping me off the field because I was just running the field. I was really happy for him because I’ve seen all the hard work that he did and that he’s going to continue to do. And he’s gonna be a great back coming up.”
