Mark Fletcher and Malachi Toney delivered for Miami in the CFP final. The Hurricanes fell just short

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — There will be a new starting quarterback at Miami next season, new starters on the offensive and defensive lines, a new kicker and probably a slew of other depth chart changes between now and September.

Mark Fletcher Jr. says he'll be back, though. And Malachi Toney should be there as well.

No matter who is at quarterback next fall, meet the leaders of the Miami offense for 2026. They did all they could Monday night, combining to score three touchdowns — two on the ground by the workhorse running back in Fletcher, the other a catch-and-run by the electrifying wide receiver in Toney — for the Hurricanes in what became their 27-21 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.

“It's not the result we wanted," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. "Credit to Indiana. They're a great football team. ... It's a tough one. A tough one to have to eat, but we will."

Fletcher finished the season with 1,192 yards rushing — 507 of them in the four playoff games, the most that any player had in any season in CFP contests. Toney finished the season with 109 catches, the most in the country. They were among the many bright spots in a 13-3 season for Miami, one where the Hurricanes were all but written off in November and wound up playing for a title.

“I can't understate what these guys have done,” Cristobal said.

Fletcher and Toney had a ton of help this season: Carson Beck was stellar in his lone season as Miami's quarterback, Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor were among the best defensive linemen in the country and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa is universally considered a first-round draft lock.

“A lot of moments are going to be cherished,” Bain said.

They'll be gone next fall. Fletcher and Toney won't just be stars next season. They'll have to lead, too.

They're both South Florida kids, went to the same high school in American Heritage, both have the sort of stories that endear themselves to Hurricane fans and even non-Hurricane fans. Fletcher lost his father last season and his mother has become a bit of a celebrity because she drives to every game, regardless of where it is. Toney should still be in high school, a kid who reclassified to get to Miami early. They came to Miami to win a national championship.

They barely missed.

Miami was down 10-0 at the half and had almost nothing going on the offensive side of the ball — that is, until Fletcher breathed life into the building with a 57-yard touchdown run that got the Hurricanes within three early in the third quarter.

That became a trend for Miami. An unfortunate trend, as it turned out. The Hurricanes would score, but only getting within a field goal every time.

Fletcher's first TD of the night cut the Indiana lead to 10-7. He rumbled in again on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting the Indiana lead to 17-14. Toney scored with 6:37 left, cutting the Indiana lead to 24-21.

“We had an opportunity, all the way to the end,” Cristobal said.

The Hurricanes got the ball back for one more chance with 1:42 left, down 27-21. They were driving, but Indiana intercepted Beck's final pass as a Hurricane with 44 seconds left. And with that, Miami's hope of a national title were officially gone.

Fletcher stayed in the end zone long after the final horn. Even in that moment, he had one more thing to do: he was waiting to see his family.

“They were the first ones I wanted to hug,” Fletcher said.

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