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Mark Fletcher Appreciation

T

TheUBack

Taking a break
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Jan 4, 2017
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This guy is a monster. Absolute unit. I love the way he runs. I feel like Fletcher is throwback. Dude has some of the most exciting 7 yard runs I have ever seen. So glad he is back for another year. I just love this guy and his fire.
 
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He definitely made some major improvements this year. In the Indiana game we should have fed him more outside on runs like the one he took to the house.

Watching these highlights really drives home what a different team Miami has become. Fletcher's runs are like body blows in a heavyweight fight.
 
Forget what he brings on the field what a genuinely kind, amazing, resilient man. The trauma he faced and took it head on with his father’s death is something that could tank that spirit in most and this kid is using it endure and thrive. Tremendous retention and he’s going to continue to be a household name in CFB.
 
I have takes here saying I didn’t think he could be 1A on a championship team, and those were wrong. So this isn’t an “I told you so”, because I was lower than I should’ve been on him overall.

However, I must have posted 20X last off-season some variation of don’t say this kid is a finished product because of the injury. I think a lot of people here didn’t put nearly enough stock into that foot.

Remember, he was hurt in the bowl game after his freshman year. He didn’t participate in spring 2024. He did mostly nothing all summer. He had nothing even remotely close to a normal S&C program in the time between Years 1 and 2. Which is when most kids make their biggest jump. He was robbed of almost an entire year of development. So all last summer, I kept trying to remind people that the 2025 version could be markedly different than the 2024 version because he actually had a real off-season.

And **** was it ever. He looked **** good down the stretch. I think that mid-season injury actually helped him, there was almost a month there where he barely played, and he looked really fresh late.

If the 2026 version is even better than the 2025 version, this kid is gonna hurt people.
 
I’m gonna set the total for his rushing TDs next year at 14.5. He is RB1 in the conference and should push for all American if he is used the same way he was in the playoffs
 
The leader not only for his play but his humility and to galvanize the team. He is the rally cry of the team.
 
He surprised greatly with his BURST, in the run that basically put us in position to win vs A&M and to give us life vs Indiana.
 
Fletcher vs P4 Regular Season - 8 games (the runs in these highlights)
114 - 479 - 4.2 ypc
12 10+ yd runs - Longest run was 20 yds

Fletcher vs P4 Playoffs - 4 games
75 - 507 - 6.8 ypc
17 10+ yd runs - Long runs of 57, 56 & 24 yds

The pistol formation is getting too much credit here IMO.

Fletcher subtlety changed his running style. Stopped dancing in the open field & bracing for contact. Just got up field with a mission and consistently took contact to defenders.

The transformation was amazing to watch. I follow RB's A LOT and can't really remember anything like it. Just a legendary 4 game run in the playoffs.
 
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A thought I had. Basically forget about throwing the ball. Only receiver we need is Toney. This lineup is what dreams are made of.

WR - Toney LT - Okunlola LG - McCoy C - Rodriguez RG - Buchanan RT - Cantwell Extra OL - Ervin TE - Mueller QB - Mensah FB - SJ RB - Fletcher.

Just do that 65 times a game. Tempo wishbone with this team. Give the OL extra deer antler spray, HGH, and whatever new stuff the guys in strongman competitions take. Guaranteed 8 yards a carry. When 9 defenders in the box, screen to Toney. Lets go!!!
 
Mark Fletcher is 1000% class. When he recruited Damien Martinez, I knew this young man was special.

On a side note, for those on the outside saying he was classless and a sore lose for punching that IU guy who probably made a garbage comment, set this on your nightstand.🖕
 
Bro looked different when the playoffs started, I was not a huge fan of him coming out of HS. But boy I was glad to be wrong, this dude is a gamer. And his character traits are elite, he is an elite hooman
 
bshaw28 said:
Fletcher vs P4 Regular Season - 8 games (the runs in these highlights)
114 - 479 - 4.2 ypc
12 10+ yd runs - Longest run was 20 yds

Fletcher vs P4 Playoffs - 4 games
75 - 507 - 6.8 ypc
17 10+ yd runs - Long runs of 57, 56 & 24 yds

The pistol formation is getting too much credit here IMO.

Fletcher subtlety changed his running style. Stopped dancing in the open field & bracing for contact. Just got up field with a mission and consistently took contact to defenders.

The transformation was amazing to watch. I follow RB's A LOT and can't really remember anything like it. Just a legendary 4 game run in the playoffs.
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Eh I don’t think Pistol is getting too much credit. I think we have 2 years of evidence now of running fine then shifting to more pistol and significantly increasing the overall running efficiency… that was true in 24 and 25 now. IMO it objectively is just better for Play Action and just the type of RB someone like Fletcher is.

I do 100% agree that Fletcher was simply different running the ball once he eclipsed the first line of defense than he EVER showed the capability of being. I was literally constantly saying Fletcher major negative was in the open field or once he got in that LB-Safety area. He always got tripped up and literally looked like a newborn baby deer out there.. in the playoffs he didn’t look like he was on skates at all in the open field, he just kept running with power. It’s like he stopped caring about trying to make a guy miss or break a tackle and just kept running and trusted that with his size and the momentum him running at his size at speed would in itself make it difficult to for DBs or a Lb not squared up to bring him down… it was a MAJOR improvement.
 
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Calinative said:
Eh I don’t think Pistol is getting too much credit. I think we have 2 years of evidence now of running fine then shifting to more pistol and significantly increasing the overall running efficiency… that was true in 24 and 25 now. IMO it objectively is just better for Play Action and just the type of RB someone like Fletcher is.

I do 100% agree that Fletcher was simply different running the ball once he eclipsed the first line of defense than he EVER showed the capability of being. I was literally constantly saying Fletcher major negative was in the open field or once he got in that LB-Safety area. He always got tripped up and literally looked like a newborn baby deer out there.. in the playoffs he didn’t look like he was on skates at all in the open field, he just kept running with power. It’s like he stopped caring about trying to make a guy miss or break a tackle and just kept running and trusted that with his size and the momentum him running at his size at speed would in itself make it difficult to for DBs or a Lb not squared up to bring him down… it was a MAJOR improvement.
Click to expand...
I could definitely be underselling the affect the Pistol had in our playoff run. The numbers speak for themselves.

But I looked back at Martinez/Fletcher/Lyle highlights from 2024 and didn't really see Pistol formations at all.

I 100% agree with you - we see the same thing with Fletcher. Open field runs (like the one below) were his norm before the playoffs. He'd try to make too sharp of a cut and just fall down/tackle himself.

This run worked - but man it looks super awkward. But he adjusted his running style in the CFP.

 
bshaw28 said:
Fletcher vs P4 Regular Season - 8 games (the runs in these highlights)
114 - 479 - 4.2 ypc
12 10+ yd runs - Longest run was 20 yds

Fletcher vs P4 Playoffs - 4 games
75 - 507 - 6.8 ypc
17 10+ yd runs - Long runs of 57, 56 & 24 yds

The pistol formation is getting too much credit here IMO.

Fletcher subtlety changed his running style. Stopped dancing in the open field & bracing for contact. Just got up field with a mission and consistently took contact to defenders.

The transformation was amazing to watch. I follow RB's A LOT and can't really remember anything like it. Just a legendary 4 game run in the playoffs.
Click to expand...
He improved so much at the 2nd level its insane, we gotta replace Meritt with someone at that level
 
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