Hurricanes lean on running game late to clinch victory vs. Gators

The No. 4 Miami Hurricanes proved Saturday that even when their star quarterback isn’t mounting a Heisman Trophy-worthy performance, the rest of the crew is strong enough to carry the load.

While Carson Beck and his ample cast of receivers were mostly ordinary and sometimes lacking in Miami’s 26-7 victory at Hard Rock Stadium, the Canes (4-0) held the Florida Gators (1-3) to 141 yards, and kicker Carter Davis punched two crucial field goals

But mostly, the Miami running backs came to the rescue when it looked bleakest

Tailbacks Marty Brown and Mark Fletcher Jr. combined for 196 rushing yards and three touchdowns — two of them late in the fourth quarter — to secure the victory.

It didn’t help the Gators to play without three injured defensive line starters: Edge George Gumbs Jr. and defensive tackles Caleb Banks and Michai Boireau. Brown and Fletcher took full advantage.

Fletcher had 24 carries for 116 yards and a 1-yard scoring plunge with 1:57 left.

Brown added 18 carries for 80 yards and four catches for 53 yards. His 2-yard touchdown run came in the first quarter, and his 1-yarder sealed the win with 4:08 left.

“You look at Marty and Mark tonight,’’ Beck said. “Personally, I think that’s the best running back duo in the country. … Honestly, I don’t know how many rushing yards we had, but we kind of ran it down their throats there at the end.”

UF narrowed UM’s lead to 13-7 with a touchdown late in the third quarter, but Brown and Fletcher took over with a vengeance. The two combined for 70 yards, including a 6-yard catch, in the drive that culminated with Brown leaping over a pile of bodies for his 1-yard score that made it 19-7 before the two-point conversion attempt failed.

Brown, a redshirt sophomore, is the North Dakota State transfer who was the FCS Freshman of the Year as he led the Bison to the FCS national championship. He now has four touchdowns on the season.

Brown might have had five touchdowns had officials not called back an apparent 48-yard touchdown when he broke through the defense on fourth-and-1 during the first drive of the second half. Instead, they said his forward progress was stopped after 3 yards.

“It was frustrating,’’ Brown said. “But we came away with the win, and it was just a blessing to be out there in general. Refs aren’t perfect. We’re human beings. It’s all good.’’

Added Brown: “The way we show up every day and compete against each other in the RB room is a brotherhood. We hold each other accountable day in and day out. It’s nothing to show up on game day and give it our all.’’

Fletcher, a 6-2, 225-pound junior from Fort Lauderdale, has five touchdowns and a team-leading 388 rushing yards this season.

Said UM coach Mario Cristobal: “The way those two guys work together, they’ve got a lot of size and power. They’re both 220-plus, and they run behind their pads. As the game wears on, those guys are really hard to tackle.’’

This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 1:36 AM.