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The sadness of losing the national championship has turned to frustration for at least one member of the Miami Hurricanes.
After the clock hit zero, Canes star Mark Fletcher Jr. was caught on the ESPN broadcast punching Hoosiers defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker. Players and staff from both schools had to step between the competitors before the problem escalated further.
Carson Beck was also criticized for his post-match actions. Beck was seen leaving the field without meeting his opponents for a post-match handshake.
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Eli Manning of the New York Giants leaves the field in the fourth quarter during the NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 8, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Eli Manning felt for Beck and Fletcher, considering that chaos ensues after matches of such magnitude.
“When the clock hits zero, it’s thousands of people running on the field and getting on the stages, and it’s a situation where, you know, normally you can kind of go on the field and see different people and hang out. This one, it’s a very different situation. You’re kind of almost rushed. ‘Hey, you gotta get down, we want the champs here.’ So I understand the situation,” Manning told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview.
Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) rushes for a touchdown against the Indiana Hoosiers in the second half during the College Football Playoff national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
ELI MANNING TAKES YET ANOTHER JOB AS HE TEASES POSSIBLE OLYMPIC APPEARANCE
Manning has always been on the winning side of these types of games, going 4-0 in conference championship games and Super Bowls combined. So maybe he might not be the best person to advise you. But Manning has still lost playoff games in the past and knows what it’s like to just want to get in.
“It’s never easy. You know, you work all year trying to win a championship and you finally find yourself in this situation, and it’s devastating. It’s devastating not to win this situation,” Manning said.
But he had some advice.
“Sometimes it’s okay to do nothing, rather than make a big scene,” Manning added. “So that’s part of the sport. You have to win with grace, you have to lose with grace and handle both things the same way.”
Miami quarterback Carson Beck passes against Indiana during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Beck then reflected on his lone season with the Hurricanes, calling it the best year of his life.
“And not because we reached the national championship, nor because we won many titles. football matches or we did big plays or things like that. Man, for me, my whole life changed,” he said.
“You know, 365 days ago, I was in a very dark place and trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a really difficult thing. There was a lot going on, mentally, physically, emotionally, to be able to fight and get through the roller coaster that is life.”
