Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr.
Throws Punch After Title Loss
Published
January 20, 2026
6:45 AM PST
The College Football Playoff National Championship ended with Indiana celebrating … and Miami throwing fists.
Moments after the Hoosiers stunned the Hurricanes with a 27-21 win at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night, Miami star Mark Fletcher Jr. sparked postgame chaos, directing a punch at Indiana defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker in a heated on-field confrontation that had staffers sprinting to intervene.
Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr. and Indiana’s Tyrique Tucker had to be separated after the CFP National Championship game. pic.twitter.com/pXja5LtGt8
— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2026
@espn
And here’s the crazy part — Fletcher had just had the night of his life.
He ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns, including a 57-yarder, to keep the Hurricanes in the game down to the finish … becoming the first running back all season to break the century mark against the top-ranked Hoosiers defense.
But instead of basking in the record books, Fletcher’s championship night ended on a bad note.
“I was just trying to congratulate him on the game,” Tucker told The Herald-Times. “He tried to sneak me, everybody kind of held me back. That was a cheap punch. Luckily, we got the win, I’m not really too worried about it. He’s salty, he going home with the L.”
There’s still no word on what set Fletcher off, but emotions were clearly boiling over after the brutal slugfest loss.
A size difference didn’t seem to deter the 225-pound back from wanting to chase down the 302-pound lineman until Indiana’s defensive coordinator jumped in.
It wasn’t all bad blood between the Hurricanes’ star and the Hoosiers. Field mics picked up Fletcher congratulating Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza on the field, telling the QB, “I’m so proud of you.”
Mark Fletcher 🤝 Fernando Mendoza
What a moment postgame between two South Florida guys pic.twitter.com/Noov4lt9Pg
— Kacy Hintz (@KacyHintz) January 20, 2026
@KacyHintz
This title game had a little bit of everything … but no one was expecting a literal fight.
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