Miami punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a gritty 10-3 win over Texas A&M, and the difference came from the heart of its offense. When little else worked, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. stepped in and carried the Hurricanes. His career-best performance led head coach Mario Cristobal to credit the win to his junior back’s resilience.

“He was such a difference in the game and what he means to the team,” said Mario Cristobal on Mark Fletcher Jr, in the post-game presser. “It’s been a rough year for him, with the passing of his father. He never flinched. Stayed with his teammates, played the game that Saturday. That’s about a year ago. And he’s just the heart and soul of our football team.

Everything he does is dedicated to his teammates getting better, to the team winning, and he just took over. He took over the ground game in a game where we’re having a real tough time moving the football. You know, they have a really good defense. That wind was all over the place, which blew some things out, both in the passing game and on field goals, but Mark Fletcher certainly wasn’t affected by it.”

Miami couldn’t move the ball for most of the afternoon. Through it all, Mark Fletcher Jr. remained the one constant. Fletcher finished with 17 carries for 173 yards, averaging 10.1 yards per attempt, and accounted for 61.9 percent of Miami’s total scrimmage yards, per OptaStats.

On the first play of a fourth-quarter drive, with 2:18 left in the game, the scores are tied 3-3. This is when Fletcher ripped through the Aggies’ defense for a 56-yard run, which allowed the Hurricanes to move deep into the territory, allowing Toney to score the winning touchdown (10-3).

That reliability is what Mario Cristobal pointed to afterward. Fletcher has continued to play the same way since losing his father two days before Miami’s game against South Florida in 2024; steady, unflinching, and available when the team needs him. On a day when answers were hard to find, Miami leaned on the player it trusted most.

Mark Fletcher Jr’s pre-game ritual texting his ‘late’ father

After an incredible performance, Mark Fletcher Jr revealed how much he misses his father, sharing his pre-game tradition. The Junior RB has a tradition of sending a picture of his first meal before the game to his father, and sharing his love. Though his father has passed, he continues to send a message to his dad’s phone before the game.

“[I text him] every game, [today] I just said I love you and be with me,” said Mark Fletcher, on the post-game sideline interview to ESPN. “We got our tradition. I eat oatmeal. ‘Hey, first meal before every game, send him a picture of my oatmeal, tell him I love you, and then just be with me. He was with me today as he always is.”

This is not the first time the running back has opened up about his father. He spoke to the Sun Sentinel earlier this season, revealing how emotionally low he was after his dad’s passing.

“But just the way he left his legacy,” Fletcher Jr. on his dad. “I just have nothing to do but carry it in the best way, and that’s what I plan to do. I was emotional that whole day, but then when I saw [my teammates], that’s when I really broke down.”

This game-winning performance could be the best tribute to his father, and he would be so proud seeing him from heaven.