Texas A&M's once-feared run defense collapses late as Miami's ground game gashes the Aggies in a CFP nightmare at Kyle Field.
What began as a day of courage and hope in College Station turned into one of the most forgettable afternoons in Kyle Field history.
With a College Football Playoff berth on the line, the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies saw their 2025 season die in a brutal 10-3 loss to No. 10 Miami, their second straight defeat to close an 11-2 campaign.
The stage was set for a classic.
A windy day in Aggieland wreaked havoc on both kicking games and turned the matchup into a defensive slugfest. Neither team could muster a single point in the first half, and for a while it felt like the first mistake might decide everything.
For Texas A&M, that mistake was a problem that had quietly haunted them all season ... run defense.
Not long ago, the Maroon and White boasted one of the nastiest run defenses in the country. In 2025, they still flashed that form at times, but when the cracks showed, they turned into canyons. Against Miami, that weakness picked the worst possible moment to resurface.
Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. was relatively quiet early, limited to 40 rushing yards in the first half. But after halftime, he completely flipped the script. His first carry of the second half ripped off 24 yards and served as a warning shot that A&M never fully answered.
Then came the fourth quarter meltdown.
Fletcher popped a 16-yard run to start the frame, then detonated the game's signature play - a 56-yard sprint down the sideline while channeling his inner Marshawn Lynch, stiff-arming Aggies safety Dalton Brooks for nearly 20 yards.
By the time the dust settled, Miami had complete control of the tempo and the clock.
Four more Fletcher carries for 19 yards set up the dagger. From the Texas A&M 11-yard line, Miami dialed up a jet sweep to wide receiver Malachi Toney, who raced around the edge and into the end zone with just under two minutes left. Fletcher finished with 17 carries for 172 punishing yards.
But QB Marcel Reed and the Aggies still had life.
The sophomore led a gutsy final drive, surviving a wiped-out KC Concepcion catch and a no-call on a potential targeting hit to Rueben Owens. But deep in the red zone, Reed's last gamble ended up in the hands of defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald - an interception that sealed both the game and Texas A&M's season.
Now, while Miami moves on to face reigning national champion Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium, the Aggies turn toward 2026.
The mission is clear ... fix the run defense, clean up the margins, and make sure the next College Football Playoff stage doesn't end with Kyle Field in stunned silence.