Mark Fletcher scores another TD to bring Miami within 3 points of Indiana
Published:
Mark Fletcher gave Miami exactly what it needed for the 2nd time in the 2nd half on Monday night in the national title game at Hard Rock Stadium.
With the Hurricanes trailing Indiana, 17-7, Fletcher capped a crucial Canes drive with a 3-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter that suddenly made it a 3-point game again. Fletcher’s 57-yard touchdown run in the third quarter provided a similar statement for Miami, getting it within 10-7 after a scoreless first half.
He did it again as the fourth quarter began, following Indiana’s blocked-punt touchdown with a touchdown of his own to provide just the answer Miami needed.
Fletcher’s second score of the game came on a 3rd-and-1 play at the Indiana 3-yard line, so Miami could’ve gotten a first down without scoring a touchdown.
No need for that first down, said Fletcher, who pranced into the end zone untouched to make it 17-14 and set the stage for a classic fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.
Fletcher was all the offense Miami needed so far in Monday night’s game for all the marbles, and he was single-handedly keeping the Canes in it after the Hoosiers twice took 10-point leads at halftime and during the third quarter.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
