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The sadness of losing the national championship 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 taking a hit on Hoosiers defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker. Players and staff from both schools had to get between the competitors before the problem got even worse.
Carson Beck was also criticized for his post-game actions. Beck was seen running off the field without meeting his opponents for a post-game 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 sorry for Beck and Fletcher, considering chaos ensues after games of such high magnitude.
“When the clock hits zero, there are thousands of people running onto the field and they’re taking out scenarios, and it’s a situation where, you know, normally you walk on the field and see different people and hang out. This is a very different situation. You’re almost rushing. ‘Hey, you’ve got to get off, we want the champions here.’ So I understand the situation,” Manning told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) rushes to score against the Indiana Hoosiers in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Image Images)
ELI MANNING TAKES ON ANOTHER JOB WHILE TEASING A POSSIBLE OLYMPIC APPEARANCE
Manning was always on the winning side of those types of games, going 4-0 in conference championship games and Super Bowls combined. So maybe I’m not the best person to give advice. 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’re working all year to try to win a championship and you finally get in that situation, and it’s devastating. It’s devastating not to win that situation,” Manning said.
But he did have some advice.
“Sometimes doing nothing is fine, rather than acting and making a big scene,” Manning added. “So that’s part of sports. You have to win with grace, you have to lose with grace and handle both 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 later reflected on his lone season with the Hurricanes, calling it the best year of his life.
“And not because we have achieved the national championship, not because we have won many soccer games or we did great works or things like that. Man, for me, my whole life changed,” he said.
“You know, 365 days ago, I was in a really dark place, and I was 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 fight through the roller coaster that is life.”
