Fresh off an impressive 41-13 road victory over Clemson, Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal met with the media Monday to reflect on his team's performance and discuss preparations for the upcoming rivalry showdown against Florida State. Cristobal addressed several key topics, including injury updates, the continued development of Miami's defense, the toughness displayed by his offensive line, and the emergence of several young contributors. With the Hurricanes remaining undefeated, Cristobal emphasized the importance of maintaining the team's 1-0 mentality, learning from last season's midseason struggles, and avoiding complacency as Miami enters another critical stretch of its schedule.
Below are the most significant points that coach Cristobal touched upon.
Really good win against a really good team, a very talented team. We handled the environment really well. We were physical. There were some good spurts of play and some areas that we have to continue to get better at, but all in all, just continued progress for the Hurricanes.
We had some injuries. We'll probably have more updates later in the week. There are still some guys we're trying to figure out and see where they're at, but it sounds like there's some promise in terms of guys returning. I'll have more on that later in the week.
We have to wait until the week gets going, but last week we felt good about Xavier Lucas being there. We feel even better about him being there now. I know he didn't make it there.
And then Marcelin, we didn't use him last game, but he was ready to go. Now we feel with another couple of weeks, he's going to be in a good spot.
I want to commend our players for continuing to fight through some of the physical issues that we've had because the game meant a lot to them. A conference road game, any conference game, is really important to them. They just want to find a way to get to 1-0, and they got it done.
They really wanted this game. The culture gets stronger all the time, and it's driven by everybody in the building. If you walk around, we don't have any slogans on the wall. We don't really delve into a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and video. We just do what we do, and we like to refer to ourselves as men of action. Work it into existence.
These guys have really been jelling more and more each week, and they were starting to play well together against a really talented front. That's an excellent front seven and an excellent team. We were grinding out some chunks, and we really started having more success as the game wore on.
They didn't want to come out. That's the bottom line. They wanted to finish the game and get their 1-0, so they just kept going.
I'm proud of the way those guys continue to fight, improve, get in here early, work at it, get better, refuse to take praise, and understand that we have a long way to go and a lot of improvement to be had for us to be where we want to be.
I'm just fired up for them and their teammates. Seeing what we work on at Greentree show up in games is the most important part. Making sure that what we do out there travels with us is important because that road mindset is very different.
When our guys walked out there, they were juiced up. They were excited. Credit to Clemson. They're a really good football team, they're going to win a ton of games, and they provided a great game-day environment.
What we showed and worked on in practice showed up well in most areas.
I don't get caught up in the other stuff. I want to make sure we're in the moment, play by play, thinking about what's coming, the down and distance, and the decisions that come with it.
When you watch the film afterward, that's when you really appreciate some of the efforts by the guys, the levels of physicality they displayed, and their growth and development.
Damon has really grown in our system, and there's a lot more that's going to be coming from him here in the next couple of weeks.
We're eager for the next opportunity. We have a strong appetite to keep getting better. There are a lot of things we're not very good at right now that we need to improve upon, and we want to get after those things.
Confidence is going to come from preparation. You start to really feel that as you head into Thursday, and then you wake up Friday and start your team meetings, finish off some of your messaging, and head off to walkthroughs.
That's gained on a daily basis. That's why it's so important to come in every single day with an unbelievable attitude and a really strong work ethic, because that confidence has to be earned.
When you sit on a bus or a plane on your way to a site, there's no masking that. There's no disguising that. The great athletes have documented that over the years.
It will be a normal week where we work both on ourselves and on Florida State.
They play this Friday as well. They're coming off a big-time win where they completely dominated their opponent in every way possible. Ten sacks. They ran the ball well and threw the ball really well. Very, very impressive.
Certainly, a team that we're going to have to be at our best against to play our best football.
Strong performance. Colossal human being. Really, really big, but he plays that way. The moment was not too big for him.
I liken his performance, attitude, and approach to guys like J.J. Dunigan and Javon Mallory. Guys like Smart and Wingler are getting there. Guys who have been through the program like Francis, Ruben, and O.J. as a freshman. Guys who are really mature.
That's a big point of emphasis this week. The week is going to be used to drive home the fact that the levels of maturity and commitment have to continue to be elevated throughout the entire program because there are a lot of talented guys, and we need more contributors.
The reason the guys I've mentioned are contributing is because of their approach. It's completely between the ears. That's a choice and a decision.
We're going to go at that hard, especially when you get hit with as many injuries as we've had.
Stepping up is not an inheritance. You're not going to plug in a guy just because that's where you sit in the room and you're the next one up. You better earn that spot, or we're going to move somebody else, teach them, and go to work.
That's going to be the challenge, one that we're going to go at really hard because that's where our team needs to get better.
I think the scout teams and service teams have done a really good job of not only providing looks of the opponents we're facing but also developing within our systems. We'll get a truckload of reps at that this week.
He's been an elite special teams player for a couple of years. It's a great question because it proves the point that if you have a chance to get on the field early on special teams, the speed of the game, angles, leverage, contact, and everything that comes with playing special teams really help you grow and develop.
The moment was there for him on Saturday, and he did a great job. Really, really proud of him.
He's proven himself as a dependable player, a guy who can cover and make tackles in open space.
Again, another guy where the moment wasn't too big. He went out there and did a really good job with communication and execution.
I think he reacted well. He took some hits. He also had some time to throw, some clean pockets, and threw some good passes.
I don't think there's any flinch in him. I think he appreciates and almost carries it as a badge of honor to get himself a little bit dirty, too. Make the equipment guys work a little harder getting those stains off his uniform and getting him ready for the next game.
He's a tough guy. He's a tough guy.
He's going to work on his ball security. He talked about that. He was upset with himself, and I think that's a great sign of a quarterback who's a real competitor.
He just wants to get better. Instead of looking for praise after the game, he's looking for errors to improve upon.
The first words out of his mouth were, "Man, we got lots to clean up."
Those were the very first words. I was checking on him, asking how he was doing, and he said, "We got lots to clean up." I said, "Good, man. See you."
They played some man. They played some zone. I thought Malachi played his butt off. He did really well. They defended some passes. A couple of them, I know one was behind him. Another time, I think he drew at least two flags.
There are a couple of chunk plays right there. He had the seam route as well, where he split them for a touchdown that got called back .His production continues to be high. We feel he's a guy who, no matter what coverages are thrown at us, is still going to find a way to get open and keep making plays.
They love winning. They love winning. When you work to the levels and extent that we push ourselves and push each other, the validation comes.
We stay process-oriented, but results validate things one way or the other.
They love that part, and they know it's a short window to enjoy because you're on to the next one really quickly. That's just the way it is. You can watch all those videos in the offseason and probably enjoy them more.
We went up there a day early to be together around each other more. We felt we were going into an environment where we had to be galvanized and airtight.
Those things matter. You start hanging around people, having conversations and moments, and you become tighter. You become brothers.
Next thing you know, you're out there battling injuries, battling fatigue, and battling a really good opponent. You're finding ways to get stuff done, and it's the best feeling in the world.
I think that's what they feel. Then they quickly understand the importance of putting that aside. That one's over. Let's get on to the next one.
When we watch that film, we have a lot of things we have to get better at.
It's a group that understands the importance of the work. When we weren't winning, like we said before, there's no value in talking. Now when you are winning games, talk even less. Let's just go to work.
