Why the Hurricanes' run game might be key to making the College Football Playoff

Miami Herald

3 days ago

When the Miami Hurricanes begin the 2025 season with their marquee opener against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Aug. 31, all eyes will be on quarterback Carson Beck and how he follows up the record-setting season produced by his predecessor in Cam Ward. From there, fans will be looking to see if the defense, particularly the secondary, will improve from a disappointing 2024 season as UM eyes its a chance for its first appearance in the College Football Playoff.
But could Miami's key to success actually be hiding in plain sight?
If college football history during the past decade has anything to say about what will unfold in 2025, the Hurricanes' run game might be a deciding factor in if they finally break through in Year 4 under Mario Cristobal and qualify for the 12-team playoff field.
Just how important is a solid running game — particularly scoring touchdowns on the ground — to winning a national championship in the College Football Playoff era? Consider the following:
▪ Since the start of the CFP format in 2014, all but one national champion has ranked in the top 25 in rushing touchdowns. The exception was the Clemson Tigers in 2016, when they barely missed the cut by being tied for 27th in rushing touchdowns. Four teams — the 2023 Michigan Wolverines, 2022 Georgia Bulldogs, 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide and 2018 Clemson — led the country or tied for the national lead in rushing touchdowns.
▪ Nearly every national champion in the 11-year history of the CFP format has had an NFL-quality running back in the backfield. 2024 Ohio State had Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. 2023 Michigan had Blake Corum. 2020 Alabama had Najee Harris. 2019 LSU had Clyde Edwards-Helaire. 2018 Clemson had Travis Etienne. 2017 Alabama had Damien Harris. 2015 Alabama had Derrick Henry. And 2014 Ohio State had Ezekiel Elliott.
▪ And what about when the playoff field expanded to 12 teams last season? Well, 10 of the 12 teams that reached the playoffs in 2024 had at least one 1,000-yard rusher — Georgia and Indiana were the exceptions. Additionally, 10 of the 12 — all but Georgia and Clemson — ranked among the top 30 nationally in rushing touchdowns, with six ranking in the top 14 (Notre Dame third, Boise State fourth, Alabama fifth, Indiana tied for seventh, Penn State tied for ninth, Tennessee and Ohio State tied for 11th). Ten of 25 running backs selected in the 2025 NFL Draft were chosen from teams that reached the College Football Playoff.
Can Miami compete with that this year?
While a lot of the focus on Miami's offense last year understandably centered on Ward and the passing game, the Hurricanes actually had a quietly good run game to complement their aerial attack.
Miami ranked sixth nationally in average yards per rush (5.67) and tied for 19th nationally with 30 rushing touchdowns despite averaging just 33.31 carries per game — 98th out of 134 FBS teams.
The Hurricanes will have to replace their workhorse from last season in Damien Martinez — who had 1,002 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry — but have a loaded backfield that should be up to the task.
Mark Fletcher Jr. is entering his junior season slated to be UM's lead back after consecutive seasons as the No. 2 to begin his collegiate career. He has 1,121 career rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns in two seasons at Miami.
Sophomore Jordan Lyle, meanwhile, is arguably the most explosive running back on the Hurricanes' roster, and he showed it big time as a freshman when he ran for 400 yards and four touchdowns in a limited role. Of his 54 carries, nine went for at least 10 yards. His 7.41 yards per carry ranked seventh nationally among running backs with at least 50 carries. The big question becomes whether Lyle can continue with that explosiveness as his role likely increases and he sees more touches on a weekly basis. Remember he only had double-digit carries in one game as a freshman.
And then there's CharMar 'Marty' Brown, who transferred to UM after spring ball and played at a championship level with FCS North Dakota State last season. As a redshirt freshman for the champion Bison, Brown ran for 1,181 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to winning the Jerry Rice Award as the top FCS freshman. He has impressed through camp so far and should figure into Miami's running back rotation.
'I think it's gonna be phenomenal,' Brown said. 'The way we compete, we compete against each other and we coach each other up at practice day in and day out. We're all brothers and we're looking forward to challenging everyone all season.'