Punch, Sportsmanship Criticism Blights Miami's National Title Game: First Alert

They say there's almost always two sides to every story, right? Well, the pot-stirrers have been having plenty to go on about since Indiana defeated Miami 27-21 in the National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium, even though the people involved still may not know the full story,

We'll start with Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who finished the game with 112 rushing yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns, including a 57-yard score in the third quarter. Had Miami pulled out the win, he might have been the named the game MVP.

One of the main storylines to the game had been Fletcher's success this season, especially in the College Football Playoff, after his father died last year. They were very close (see below).

After the game ended, and players from both sides were on the field offering congratulations to one another and so forth, television cameras caught Fletcher throwing a punch at Indiana defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker, a James Madison transfer who just won the biggest game of his life.

It should be noted that while Fletcher is a big running back, listed at 6 foot 2, 225 pounds, the 6-foot Tucker is 300-pounds plus.

Mark Fletcher throwing punches after Miami lost the Natty pic.twitter.com/RSuxgU1D6W
— Buckeye HQ (@RealisticBuck) January 20, 2026

Per numerous reports that Sports Illustrated wove together in a breakdown of the incident, Tucker said he was only congratulating Fletcher, and then that he didn't say anything.

But then when you watch the video don't just look at Fletcher, but the player standing nearby. Freshman wide receiver Joshua Moore also reacted in a way that's consistent that someone said something to offend Fletcher.

The Miami staffer who pulled Fletcher away and got him heading in the other direction was Mike Rumph, a former NFL defensive back who is the Hurricanes' director of recruiting. He commented under posted video on CBS Sports: "Dude was talking about Mark’s dad who passed away last year.

"Mark is and always will be one of the most classy people you will meet. RIP Mr. Fletcher."

Meanwhile, quarterback Carson Beck is being criticized for immediately heading to the locker room and not shaking hands with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza after his final pass was picked off to start the celebration on the Hoosiers' sideline. There's no word on if he even looked for his counterpart in the postgame mayhem, but either way he should get the benefit of doubt after such a dramatic ending — never mind the ensuing chaos that happens on a field after a game like that.

But take a look at who did go out of his way to find Mendoza, even after everything that had happened: Fletcher.

Just two South Florida Kids In the National Championship Game #NationalChampionship | #CollegeFootballPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/hRLB59SSJO
— Miami Hurricanes On SI (@CanesCentralSI) January 20, 2026

Whether you think one person is in the right, or another may be in the wrong, we only suggest that you only keep a couple of things in mind: That Fletcher is 21, Tucker 22, and Beck is 23, who were all exhausted at the end of of not just a physically- and emotionally-demanding game, but season. That doesn't excuse throwing a punch, what may or may not have been said, or any other poor postgame behavior. But a little understanding after such a surreal experience like that can go a long way.

Countdown to 2026 Miami Hurricanes Football Season

234 days until Sept. 12 (Florida A&M at Miami)

First Alert: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

• D1Baseball named Miami third baseman Daniel Cuvet to its Preseason All-American Team, and right-handed pitcher Ryan Bilka was a third-team selection. Last season, Cuvet had a .372 batting average with 84 hits, 18 home runs, 84 RBI, 20 doubles and a .708 slugging percentage. Bilka was 6-2 with a 2.18 ERA and three saves at Richmond before transferring.

• Per SBJ: Overall attendance for this year’s 47 FBS postseason games was down 9 percent from last season. More than 1.7 million total fans still only led to an average attendance of 30,600, down 16 percent from last season’s 46 games (but up from the previous two years), and th four first-round CFP games added 311,047 to the attendance total. The top attended postseason game was Miami at Texas A&M with 104,122 packed inside Kyle Field.

• ACC commissioner Jim Phillips on SiriusXM’s “Off Campus” show: “Tampering, illegal contact across college football — we have to get our hands around that. We just do. You’re either going to have some rules or you’re not going to have rules. What’s happened is that the investment has never been greater, so the stakes have never been greater. … That’s on myself, that’s on the other commissioners, on the NCAA, the CSC. We’ve got a lot of work to do there.”

• Indiana’s official website crashed last night following the Hoosiers’ CFP national title tilt victory, per SI’s Bryan Fischer.

• The 2026 CFP National Champion issue of Sports Illustrated magazine has Mendoza's touchdown on the cover. We won't post it here, but copies can be ordered HERE.

Miami Hurricanes Tuesday Results

Men's Basketball: Florida State 65, Miami 63

Miami Hurricanes Wednesday Schedule

Women's Tennis: FGCU at Miami, noon ET, Live Stats

Miami Hurricanes Quote of the Day

"I broke my face mask on [Ottis] Anderson in the first half. It just snapped and turned all the way around to the right side of my helmet. I mean, jeez, it's the first time I ever broke a face mask."
Linebacker Shane Conlan

Countdown to 2026 Miami Hurricanes Baseball Season

23 days (Lehaigh at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, 7 p.m. ET)

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We'll Leave You With This ...

HEARTWARMING: Miami star running back Mark Fletcher Jr. still texts his dead father before every game he plays in.

“I love you. Be with me.”

Damn 🥹🥹🥹

(Via ESPN)
pic.twitter.com/JdMf0ZIxXE
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) January 9, 2026