"By the fourth quarter, however, the score was tied at 3, and both offenses had traded blows in a battle of attrition. All the gadget plays and misdirection had amounted to nothing. A swirling wind at Kyle Field had stunted the passing attack and played havoc with the kicking game, as Miami missed three field goal attempts. The last hope, Dawson figured, was to do the thing he had been criticized for most this season."
"He would run the ball -- power run, A-gap, right down the Aggies' throats until Miami was in the end zone. Dawson found his tailback on the sideline before Miami's final drive, and he issued an edict to Mark Fletcher Jr. "We're riding you down the field," Dawson said. Fletcher grinned -- that smile that has become so familiar to everyone around Miami for the past three years. Fletcher is always happy, always an optimist, but this was different. It wasn't optimism. It was certainty."
Shannon Dawson initially planned to use a full array of gadget plays and misdirection before shifting to a power-run approach late. A swirling wind at Kyle Field hindered the passing game and disrupted the kicking game, leading to three missed field-goal attempts. By the fourth quarter the score was tied 3-3, prompting a commitment to downhill rushing. Dawson instructed Mark Fletcher Jr. to carry the offense on the final drive. Fletcher responded with a 56-yard run and several shorter gains that set up the decisive touchdown. The drive culminated in Miami's biggest win in more than 20 years.
Read at ESPN.com
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