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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The Miami Hurricanes entered Saturday's matchup against Duke without star wide receiver Malachi Toney for his second straight game, looking to bounce back from their disappointing first loss of the season to Notre Dame.
Fortunately for Miami, running back Mark Fletcher delivered an early highlight, also a major milestone for the Hurricanes player.
With Miami and Duke tied 3-3 in the first half, Fletcher gave the Hurricanes a boost in the second quarter. After Miami moved into scoring range, the star running back punched the ball up the middle into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown.
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It was Fletcher's 36th career rushing touchdown for Miami, making him the school's all-time leader in the category and securing his place in Hurricanes history.
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The Hurricanes took a 13-10 lead into halftime, with Fletcher the only touchdown scorer for his team, and they might need to rely on him more for the rest of this season.
He's in his senior season with Miami and has tallied 107 carries for 514 rushing yards and nine touchdowns so far this season. Fletcher has played a less prominent role in the Hurricanes' offense this season, with much of the attention going to the early standout performances from Toney and quarterback Darian Mensah.
He was a major part of Miami's impressive run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last season. He had a 173-yard rushing performance in the Hurricanes' opening 10-7 victory over Texas A&M, and later recorded 133 yards against Ole Miss to help his team reach the championship game.
While they lost that game 27-21 to Indiana, Fletcher had another big performance against the Hoosiers, rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Miami's College Football Playoff championship hopes suffered a setback when Toney underwent surgery for a high ankle sprain, sidelining one of the team's top weapons. That left the Miami offense in need of answers as the Hurricanes hope to do enough to maintain a favorable spot in the CFP rankings.
After Duke, the Hurricanes finish out their regular season by hosting ACC rivals Virginia Tech and Boston College in back-to-back games.
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For more about the Miami Hurricanes and NCAA football, visit Newsweek Sports.
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