Miami Loses 2 RBs to Injury in Blow That Nearly Cost Hurricanes Their Week 3 Game

No. 5 Miami walked away from their Week 3 game against Wake Forest with a 33-20 win, but the victory felt far heavier than the scoreboard suggested. What started as a comfortable afternoon quickly turned into a high-stakes survival test. The Hurricanes lost two key running backs to serious injuries, nearly handing Wake Forest an unlikely second-half comeback.

The mood inside the stadium shifted drastically in the second quarter. Key running back CharMar Brown went down on the turf and needed the medical cart to leave the field. For Miami fans watching live, the concern was immediate. A silent sideline showed everyone knew this was not a simple injury he could just walk off.

The announcer, according to a fan with the username ‘Miami Mando’ on X, said that Brown “suffered a gruesome-looking knee injury we are not going to show you.” The redshirt junior, popular as Marty, fell after a 32-yard sprint with less than ten minutes left in the second quarter.

Brown cut across the field, pulled up holding his right knee, and went down instantly. The television broadcast team refrained from showing the replay due to the graphic nature of the twist, instantly signaling the severity of the damage to his knee.

Medical staff quickly surrounded the 21-year-old transfer from North Dakota State as head coach Mario Cristobal walked over to check on him. Brown had to be loaded onto the cart to reach the locker room, ending his afternoon after just two carries for 41 yards. His departure stripped Miami of their primary physical runner early in the contest.

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The Hurricanes were thoroughly unlucky in the running back depth chart, as another setback was yet to come. Mark Fletcher Jr. led the team with 16 carries for 85 rushing yards and one touchdown, but was taken to the locker room later in the game. During the game broadcast, ESPN reported that he sustained an upper-body injury.

Without Brown and Fletcher to grind out tight yards, Miami’s unstoppable offense came to an abrupt halt in the second half. They went three-and-out on five straight drives, allowing Wake Forest to strike with 13 unanswered points and cut the lead to 31-20 early in the fourth quarter.

What felt like an easy blowout quickly became a nail-biter that forced Miami’s defense to pull off two late fourth-down stops inside their own territory just to survive.

Star wide receiver Malachi Toney was not spared either. He was roughed up and limited in the second half of the game. The 19-year-old sophomore recorded a team-high 12 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.

For a top-five program with national championship ambitions, every game carries zero room for error. Miami entered this matchup undefeated, boasting one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country. A slip-up against a scrappy Wake Forest squad would have severely damaged their playoff seeding, making the injury nightmare even more painful to digest.

Head coach Mario Cristobal later offered little relief after the game regarding his two principal running backs.

Who will the Hurricanes rely on now?

“Obviously, we suffered a couple of injuries,” Cristobal told reporters in a post-game conference. “I mean, they’re gonna be away; we’ll find out exactly where they’re at once they get back.”

He did address Toney’s injury and said it is nothing to be worried about. “He got a little bit banged up. We don’t think it’s too serious,” he said on Sports Center, as reported by AP’s Time Reynolds. 

Brown and Fletcher are Hurricanes’ key rushers. Last season, Fletcher was the team leader with 1,192 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. In 2026, he has amassed 230 yards and three TDs. On the flip side, Brown rushed for 474 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

Overcoming sudden backfield injuries is becoming a familiar test for Mario Cristobal’s squads. In college football, losing your top two rushers usually forces coaches to adjust play-calling completely, shifting from run-heavy clock management to high-risk short passing.

Miami has leaned on deep recruiting classes before when injuries hit, but replacing two starters in the middle of conference play will put that roster depth to its ultimate test.

If the team leaders have to sit out extended time, the Hurricanes will be forced to rely on freshmen Javian Mallory and Girad Pringle Jr. to carry the running workload. Official team updates and ACC injury reports will soon reveal how long Brown and Fletcher will be out.

Until then, Miami leaves Winston-Salem with a 3-0 record, but with major questions surrounding their backfield.

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