For the Miami Hurricanes, the celebration of their Fiesta Bowl victory over Ole Miss and a ticket to the national championship was quickly overshadowed by a threat from within their own locker room. Mario Cristobal’s team will play the winner of the Peace Bowl at their home field at the Hard Rock Stadium, but the potential unavailability of a Canes’ ace RB due to a contagious illness is worrying.

Adam Lichtenstein, Miami Hurricanes beat writer for the Sun Sentinel, was present in the Fiesta Bowl. After the game, he congratulated Miami’s RB Mark Fletcher Jr. and shook hands with him. Fletcher responded in kind jubilation, but also signaled caution, advising Lichtenstein to take some Vitamin C.

“The only person I know who was sick is Mark Fletcher because he told me to take some Vitamin C after I shook his hand and congratulated him,” Adam wrote on X on January 9. Fletcher contracting the flu is concerning since he has been prolific throughout the season and was the major reason why Miami emerged victorious against Ole Miss.

Fletcher singlehandedly carried the rushing attack, gashing the Ole Miss defense for 133 yards. His dominance was on full display in the third quarter, where he broke off a spectacular 19-yard run, evading five defenders before picking up another 10 yards on a later carry.

In the last play of the third quarter, Fletcher had a 15-yard gain. So far in the 2025 season, the 6’2″ and 225 lb player has rushed for 100+ yards a whopping five times and is the leading Miami rusher (1,080 rushing yards) by a mile. Losing Fletcher will naturally be a major blow for the team since both Indiana and Oregon are excellent in their run defenses.

But he has time to heal before the national championship game. While that may ease things for Mario Cristobal, the ‘flu’ problem isn’t just limited to Fletcher, and according to rumors, almost 20 players have caught it now. That is a little concerning for the Miami fans.

Mario Cristobal raises concerns about the widespread ‘flu’ issue in the locker room

Did we see a changed demeanor from Mario Cristobal in the Fiesta Bowl? We certainly did! Late in the fourth quarter, when Carson Beck ran it for a touchdown to give Miami the deciding lead, Cristobal refused to celebrate. A Miami assistant tried to hug Cristobal in excitement, and we saw the head coach furious on camera. Later, when it was time to lift the golden trophy, the 55-year-old didn’t even crack a smile. In the post-game presser, the Miami HC eventually highlighted how his players played through the illness.

“I want to give a lot of credit to our players,” Cristobal said. “I can’t tell you how many of our players were sick or had the flu, had issues. We kept talking about how we’re going to find a way. We’re focused on just enjoying this one, but we gotta get focused on 1-0 one more time.”

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It usually takes 3–7 days for the flu to generally subside. However, there will be concerns about the aftereffects of the illness. Players may have to go through prolonged fatigue and lingering tiredness even 1-2 weeks after recovering. Hopefully, with intensive care and top-notch treatment, the issues too will disappear, and the players will come back healthy to seal the elusive natty trophy after 24 years for the program.