Missed Kicks, Missed Chances: Miami Stuns Texas A&M in Defensive Slugfest
In a game that began with a million-dollar missed field goal and ended with a million-dollar moment, Miami found just enough offense - and a whole lot of defense - to knock off Texas A&M, 10-3, in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
It started with a charity kick at Kyle Field. A Texas A&M student, decked out in overalls, lined up for a 33-yard field goal with $1 million on the line from ESPN’s Pat McAfee.
He missed. McAfee, ever the showman, gave him another shot - this time for $1.5 million.
Another miss, wide right again.
Turns out, that was a preview of the day ahead.
A&M Moves the Ball, Miami Makes the Stops
Texas A&M outgained Miami, moved the ball with more consistency, and had its chances. But the Hurricanes’ defense made sure none of that mattered.
The Aggies couldn’t crack the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, undone by two costly turnovers and a blocked field goal. Four separate drives reached inside Miami’s 30-yard line.
They came away with zero points on all of them.
On the other side, Miami’s offense wasn’t exactly lighting it up either. Through 55 minutes, the Hurricanes had managed just three points. Kicker Carter Davis missed three of his first four field goal attempts, and it looked like those missed opportunities might haunt them.
But then, in the game’s final two minutes, everything changed.
Freshman Delivers in the Clutch
With 1:44 left on the clock, Miami finally broke through. A jet sweep to freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney from 11 yards out gave the Hurricanes the game’s only touchdown - and the only one they’d need. Toney’s burst around the edge sent the Miami sideline into a frenzy and gave the Hurricanes a 10-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
It was the moment that cracked open a game dominated by defense and frustration. But while Toney will get the highlight reel touchdown, the engine behind Miami’s win was running back Mark Fletcher.
Fletcher’s Career Day Powers Miami
Fletcher was the steady heartbeat of Miami’s offense - and then the hammer that closed the deal. He finished with a career-high 170 yards on just 16 carries, and he got stronger as the game wore on. After a modest 40-yard first half, Fletcher ripped off runs of 24 and 13 yards in the third quarter, then delivered the play of the game: a 56-yard sprint down the right sideline early in the fourth that flipped the field and set up Toney’s game-winner.
That run came just after Miami had fumbled away a scoring chance. Toney, ironically, had coughed it up on a 12-yard gain.
A&M took over at its own 47, but Miami’s defense stood tall again. Edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. came up with back-to-back sacks to kill the drive and force a punt.
Then came Fletcher’s explosive run, and the rest is history.
Aggies’ Season Ends in Heartbreak
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed had a solid statistical day - 25-of-39 for 237 yards - and in the process became the first Aggie QB to surpass 3,000 passing yards in a season since Kellen Mond in 2018. Reed is just the fifth in school history to hit that mark. But his afternoon was defined more by what went wrong than what went right.
He fumbled in the first quarter. Then came two second-half interceptions, the second of which ended A&M’s season.
With 24 seconds left, trailing by a touchdown, Reed had driven the Aggies 70 yards in 10 plays to Miami’s 5-yard line. On third-and-goal, he fired a pass into the end zone - and Miami safety Bryce Fitzgerald jumped the route, picked it off, and sealed the win.
One-Dimensional Offense, One-And-Done Finish
Miami’s defense dictated the game up front. A&M’s rushing attack never got going - just 89 yards on 35 attempts - and Reed was under siege all day, sacked seven times.
The Aggie backfield duo of Rueben Owens and Le’Veon Moss combined for just 36 yards on 14 carries. It was a one-dimensional offense against a defense that was more than ready for it.
For Texas A&M, it’s a bitter end to what was shaping up to be a special season. The Aggies had started 11-0, climbed to No. 3 in the AP poll - their highest ranking since 1995 - and looked poised to make a deep Playoff run.
But two straight losses ended those dreams. First came the rivalry loss to Texas, which knocked them out of the SEC Championship Game.
Now, a one-and-done exit in the CFP.
Next Stop: Cotton Bowl
For Miami, the win punches a ticket to the CFP quarterfinals and a date with Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31. The Hurricanes didn’t play a perfect game - far from it - but they played the kind of game that wins in December: physical, resilient, and opportunistic when it mattered most.
Final: Miami 10, Texas A&M 3.