Mark Fletcher calls Miami O-line 'unstoppable' after well-balanced win

Miami finished off Miami (Ohio) 38-3 in its season opener, a dominant performance from start to finish anchored by a well-balanced offensive approach.

The Hurricanes finished with 493 total yards — 243 passing and 250 rushing. The team rolled four different running backs through evenly, with all contributing to the win.

“It’s just a great feeling,” freshman Mark Fletcher said. “It’s just a great feeling doing it in my hometown. I couldn’t believe it. I’m just happy to be here right now.”

Fletcher carried the ‘Canes late, rushing for 76 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. His 8.4 yards per carry wasn’t quite good enough for the team lead, with Henry Parrish Jr. rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, clearing 10.0 yards per pop.

Ajay Allen ran for 47 yards on nine carries and Donald Chaney Jr. ran for 38 yards on eight carries.

“They’re phenomenal,” Fletcher said of his backfield mates. “We compete every day in practice. That’s not a surprise to us. We knew we were going to shock the world and this was only Game 1. Everybody stay tuned.”

While Miami will face better teams going forward, Miami (Ohio) was pretty respectable as a Game 1 opponent. Especially against the run.

The Redhawks ranked 45th nationally in run defense last season and returned nine starters, according to the ACC Network broadcast of the game on Friday night. Still, Miami’s offensive line was able to settle in and push the defense around.

“Unstoppable. Unstoppable. It’s just great. Great,” Fletcher said. “They go hard at it at practice every day. Like I said before, it’s not a surprise to us. We know what we had to do. We know what we came here to do and we just handled business, and we’re going to keep doing that.”

Miami will get a significantly stiffer test next week when Texas A&M comes to town. That will be the return game of a home-and-home series that began with a 17-9 Aggies win in 2022.

In last year’s game, Miami failed to score an offensive touchdown, so the offense will be out to flip the script behind Fletcher and the four-headed backfield.