Miami’s win at Wake Forest didn’t come without a price, and Mario Cristobal made the biggest hits official Monday morning on WQAM’s The Joe Rose Show: running back CharMar Brown and wide receiver Josh Moore are done for the season.
Cristobal also said linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. will be out for several weeks.
Those losses land on top of an already thin defensive backfield, with Miami missing three outside corners and several other starters dealing with bumps and bruises heading into Saturday’s home game against Central Michigan.
Brown’s season ended with a right knee injury on a 32-yard run to the Wake Forest 1-yard line in the second quarter. ESPN’s broadcast deemed the replay too gruesome to show, and Brown’s final line was two carries for 35 yards. He had 97 rushing yards and one touchdown on 13 carries this season after putting up 474 yards and seven scores in 2025.
Moore’s injury is the more surprising one. He caught Miami’s first touchdown on Friday night, a 9-yard pass from Darian Mensah, and kept playing into the fourth quarter without any obvious moment that screamed season-ending damage.
He finished with seven catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns through three games, working as Miami’s third receiver alongside Daylyn Upshaw. Moore was clearly uncomfortable, but the news still landed as a shock.
The Hurricanes are also navigating a crowded injury report elsewhere. Cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. suffered a significant shoulder injury on the second play at Stanford and is expected to miss most of the season. Xavier Lucas is out for multiple weeks, and Ja’Boree Antoine has been sidelined since before the opener and is not expected back until the latter part of the season.
There are a few encouraging signs, though. Mark Fletcher Jr., Ahmad Moten Sr. and Malachi Toney all were banged up against Wake Forest, but they’re expected to be available against Central Michigan.
Toney had 12 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown before briefly leaving in the second half. Fletcher scored from a yard out after Brown’s long run, then exited later with what looked like an injury.
Moten left early Friday, returned wearing a brace and should be fine.
In Other News...
Miami's Wake Forest Win Came With A Brutal Price
Miamis win over Wake Forest did more than keep the Hurricanes moving forward in the schedule. It also left the depth chart thinner, with coach Mario Cristobal confirming that running back Marty Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury in the game. Wide receiver Josh Moore will also be out for the rest of the year after an upper-body injury, while linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. is expected to miss several weeks.
The timing makes the injuries especially painful for a Miami team trying to stay steady through the grind of the season. Cristobal did offer a few useful updates beyond the bad news, and Jordan Lyle is available to play again after serving consequences tied to a legal issue. For Miami, the challenge now is not just replacing production, but doing it without letting one tough afternoon reshape the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Miami's Injury Problem Just Got Worse Before Central Michigan
Mario Cristobals postgame injury update after Miamis win over Wake Forest brought a sharper edge to what had already been a physical stretch for the Hurricanes. CharMar Brown and Josh Moore are done for the season, and Eezekiel Marcelin is expected to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury, leaving Miami to sort through another round of personnel hits on both sides of the ball.
The timing is hardly ideal with Central Michigan next on the schedule, especially with Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. also dealing with bumps but still projected to be available. Miami has managed to keep moving forward, but the injury list is starting to touch enough key spots that each practice rep matters a little more than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Suddenly Has A Big Offensive Depth Question
Miamis offense took another hit this week when Mario Cristobal confirmed that running back CharMar Marty Brown and wide receiver Joshua Moore are both done for the rest of the 2026 season because of injuries. Browns setback came on a right knee hyperextension against Wake Forest, while Moore is dealing with an upper-body injury, leaving the Hurricanes to sort through another round of personnel changes at two spots where depth matters.
For a team trying to keep its offense on track, the timing is especially tough because these are the kinds of injuries that force younger players into bigger roles before they may be fully ready. Miami now has to lean on the next wave in the room, and the coming weeks will show how well the Hurricanes can absorb those losses without letting the depth chart become a bigger issue than the injuries themselves. [Read more 🡒]