- 2 days ago
Mario Cristobal joins Joe Rose after Miami moves to 6-0. Coach talks second-half physical football against FSU, why he hates midseason hype, his raw thoughts on NIL/portal roster building, and that insane recruiting environment at Hard Rock Stadium.
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00:00What was going through your mind, coach, at that point?
00:02You know, it really, Joe, exactly what we talked about all week.
00:05In games like this, you're never all the way secure in winning,
00:09and you're never all the way out of it when you're not winning.
00:12You just got to keep playing until you finally get the momentum back.
00:16And this thing goes a lot of different ways.
00:18There's so many different things happen.
00:19The ball bouts is funny.
00:21The intensity is through the roof.
00:22So you just keep playing.
00:24You just keep playing.
00:24You just keep doing your job.
00:26All 11 guys communicating on the same page, playing with max effort,
00:30and we found a way to get the momentum back and finish the game.
00:33Coach, I love you stuck with that running game,
00:37and it just looked in the second half,
00:40and then all of a sudden Mallory's getting carries.
00:42I think he might have had all 13 of his carries in the second half over 100 yards
00:46and two touchdowns, and Lyle in there as well,
00:50and just the running back position in general, what you got out of it,
00:55especially in the second half, though,
00:57really started to open some holes by sticking with it.
01:00Yeah, the run game, you know, you really want your yards per carry.
01:04You want them increasing as the game goes on.
01:07And earlier was some tough sledding, right?
01:08We tried some different things, right?
01:10We incorporated some of the toss plays.
01:12Counter's been a good play for us.
01:14Split zone, wide split zone.
01:16And then as the game went on, I thought our guys up front really started
01:19leaning on those guys and coming out their hips and finishing blocks.
01:23And in the third and fourth quarter, our time of possession, I believe,
01:27was 20 minutes to 10, and our yards per carry went from like 3.5,
01:323.8, to about 6.5.
01:33So really indicative of just an excellent job by the guys up front
01:38and a lot of hard work invested in strength and conditioning over the course of some.
01:42Do you have a pretty good idea Mike Norville was going to like the nothing to lose?
01:46And I think you're going to see a lot of this with everybody you play now.
01:50They're going to go for it a lot on fourth down,
01:52more than maybe a usual year when you're having a good season.
01:55Did you expect Mike to be as aggressive as he was,
01:59especially down inside the 10-yard line on fourth down?
02:02Well, I mean, him being the play caller is different.
02:05I mean, he's an excellent play caller, and his history shows that.
02:08But I do think, Joe, just in college football in general,
02:11I mean, every game, every week is a playoff game, right?
02:13I mean, everybody's got to find a way to win.
02:16Everybody's going to claw their way back in the conference races
02:19and in the big picture, right?
02:20So you have to expect everything.
02:22And if you look around the country and you saw the amount of top 10
02:25and top 25 that lost, it's, you know, again, it's college football.
02:30If you don't believe the other team has great players,
02:33and if you don't believe that if you're not at your best,
02:36you can get your ass kicked, you know what?
02:38That's what's going to happen.
02:39Well, I'm glad you said that, and you led me right into it.
02:42So Georgia loses at home to Auburn, to your point.
02:46Texas loses at home to the Gators,
02:49who had just gone through two butt kickings at home.
02:52And then everybody else, Bama goes down to Tennessee.
02:56Notre Dame goes to BYU, and they lose.
02:59And I just felt like even going, oh, boy,
03:01if this isn't a wake-up call for people that are watching their early games,
03:05college football was just crazy,
03:08that there was a good chance in this rivalry game
03:11that Florida State was going to bring their A game.
03:13And yet, it made it even more important the way you guys were able
03:17to find a way to win that game
03:19and really get it going there in the fourth quarter in overtime.
03:23Yeah, it's a matter of, as a program,
03:26as players, as coaches, you've got to determine,
03:29I mean, can you learn about consequences
03:32by watching college football, by learning from past experiences,
03:36or do you got to feel them every year?
03:37Do you have to go through, you know, a poor outcome,
03:41something you don't want that, you know,
03:44could have some, the consequences that come with that might be,
03:47again, terminal as it relates to a conference race.
03:49So we're getting better.
03:51We certainly have a long way to go.
03:53But, again, the resiliency of the players, the coaches,
03:57the consistent just willingness to keep fighting through stuff
04:01is really, really good stuff.
04:02So back to work, and let's go find a way to be 1-0.
04:05Yeah, no, no, I get, hey, we've got to talk about,
04:08get back to Javion Mallory and the way he played.
04:11Not just him, but Lyle looks a lot better as well,
04:15running the football.
04:15I thought both those guys really, the confidence,
04:20they just, they look strong, the running, finding the holes,
04:24and just their confidence in the way that both those guys were playing.
04:28I thought Fletcher ran really hard.
04:31Jordan ran really hard.
04:32Javion Mallory.
04:34Gerard Pringle, he got his touch.
04:35He almost came out of it, too, with a big one.
04:37You know, he's finally healthy again.
04:39He's going to be a big factor also.
04:40So I just thought overall, both in protection and with a ball in their hands,
04:45these guys made it a point to be really hard to tackle,
04:48and they finished plays.
04:50And they were chasing and finishing guys all night as well,
04:52as blockers and as protectors.
04:55The Malachi Tony thing is always an interesting one.
04:57Everybody in the country knows who he is as one of the best players in college football.
05:01It is amazing, and you guys do such a great job of different ways to get him the ball,
05:07including in overtime, not just catching it, but throwing it,
05:12and totally catching FSU not prepared for it, the fact that he can throw the football.
05:19I'm always amazed that more people, they don't key on more things,
05:24and they leave him isolated as much as they do, Coach.
05:29I mean, are you working for the other guys now?
05:31What are we doing here?
05:32You know, like, let them be isolated, you know?
05:35I mean.
05:36I just, the plays, whether it's motion, all the different ways,
05:40and, you know, he makes guys miss, the first guy miss.
05:45It's just when you think you've seen everything, you know,
05:48he comes up with a couple of great runs, he throws one,
05:50and then he catches 11 on top of everything else.
05:55Yeah, but you know what I told Joe, they bracket him a lot, man.
05:58They play bracket, they play trail coverage, you know,
06:01they pull guys off of their particular zone,
06:04just try to get underneath some of the short intermediate stuff.
06:07I mean, throughout the course of the game, I mean, they are constantly,
06:11he's constantly drawing attention, and at the same time, look,
06:15our quarterback is excellent.
06:17We've got a lot of really good playmakers, too,
06:19that are coming into their own, and, I mean, look at Dre Jacobs is playing
06:24on the deep cross, right?
06:25I mean, that guy, you know, so we're developing more and more guys,
06:28and we have to, right, because as you go now,
06:30now we're entering the middle of October, and, you know,
06:33some of those injuries pile up a little bit.
06:36The guy's got to be able to step in and not just give a guy a breather.
06:40They've got to go in there and make plays.
06:41Vance Stafford stepped in there on a critical third down.
06:44He did.
06:45And big-time play by him, you know, so all that stuff is starting to show up.
06:50All those repetitions are starting to pay off,
06:52so we've just got to keep working and getting better.
06:55Watching Darian Mensah, one thing I really like is what you just talked about,
07:00throwing the ball underneath and getting first downs.
07:03You don't always have to try to find it down the field.
07:06If they're playing back and taking stuff away,
07:09I thought he's been really patient with just throwing it underneath the guys
07:13to move the chains.
07:15You know what?
07:16They spread the net pretty good, right?
07:19They weren't letting a lot of stuff get behind them.
07:21We did a couple times.
07:22But all in all, they do a really good job.
07:25Their zone coverage, they play with really disciplined eyes,
07:29and they break on the ball really fast.
07:30But there are some holes as well, and I thought Darian did a great job
07:34finding those holes.
07:35I thought our receivers did a good job finding those soft spots, green grass,
07:38and made some really good plays and found some hidden yards.
07:41Yeah.
07:41No, listen, the whole group played great in a tight end position.
07:45Again, a lot of production there.
07:46It's been fun to watch.
07:48Hey, so a couple things.
07:50Recruiting.
07:52Everybody, I don't know how everybody finds out,
07:54but one of the big recruiting classes you've had of guys,
07:57some have verbally committed to you.
07:58I think we can talk about this.
08:00And others that are looking at you, that has to be good for business,
08:05Coach, having that weekend and bringing in a lot of your top guys.
08:09I don't know what the number was,
08:11but it was the most massive amount of just elite talent that we've ever had
08:15at any event.
08:16So it was a long night, and again, an early morning,
08:20and we had to meet with families.
08:23We had a chance at the show.
08:24You know, we just finished up the new weight room,
08:26the expansion of the indoor, and working on some other stuff.
08:30And they got to experience Hard Rock, Disco, and Bananas,
08:33a true asylum night, right?
08:34And I thought they were raving about their experience.
08:39They were raving about the fan base because the fan base, I mean,
08:42they came out, and they came out strong, brother.
08:44They say that the guys that were at the game,
08:46the players that were here as guests,
08:48they say it was the loudest place they've ever been at,
08:51especially back there towards the end of overtime.
08:54So great experience for everybody,
08:55and we're looking forward to that paying off some dividends.
08:59Wow, that's fantastic.
09:01No, no, listen, they did a great job.
09:03It was great.
09:04Listen, having some of the history,
09:07some of the great players at that game,
09:09and seeing everybody fired up.
09:11And I always wonder, so, Coach, you telling me afterwards
09:15you got to spend like two seconds with your wife,
09:18and then it's off, and early in the morning,
09:22up with the recruiting stuff,
09:24it's still part of it with this keep this thing going.
09:27It never stops, does it?
09:29Yeah, well, you know, you have to,
09:31after the game, it's, everybody's here,
09:34and everybody's, and it's great.
09:35I mean, people have flown,
09:36and then some have to fly out the next morning.
09:38So whatever time it takes,
09:40you're up to whatever time necessary,
09:41you know, out by the stadium,
09:43inside the locker room, near the parking lot,
09:46wherever it may be,
09:47just taking advantage of every second with everyone.
09:49And then a slew of them,
09:52a ton of them came over the next morning,
09:55and we had a recruiting morning while at somewhere
09:58towards the middle of the morning,
10:00then we flipped back to game planning and prep
10:03for the next opponent.
10:05So, and that's, you know what, Joe, that's awesome.
10:06I mean, really, it's an honor,
10:08it's a privilege to be able to get to a point in the season
10:11where you can have an event like this
10:13that brings so many and so much high-end talent
10:16and gives you a chance to showcase your program,
10:18your fan base, your city.
10:20You know, the weather wasn't great,
10:22but I think people know the weather in Miami
10:23is, like, pretty awesome most of the time.
10:25Yes, yes, it is.
10:26Hey, some other news coming out.
10:2924 playoff teams for not this year,
10:31but the following year.
10:33How do you feel about that?
10:35Not my thing.
10:36I'm not a fan, but, you know,
10:38I mean, at the end of the day,
10:39whatever is best for the conference in college football,
10:41but me personally, I just, not, not, not for it.
10:45Are you thinking there really isn't 24 teams
10:49or just too many teams
10:50or more of just we don't have 24 teams
10:52that have a chance to win a championship every year?
10:55I just, I would say that
11:00I love the value of the regular season.
11:03I do, you know,
11:04and I don't want to increase
11:07the number of narratives that continue,
11:11yeah, to, to show up when, you know,
11:14things don't go a certain team's way
11:15or a certain conference's way.
11:17I don't want to eliminate the beauty pageant part of it.
11:20I want to make it more about competing,
11:21getting it done on the field
11:23and determining it there.
11:24Yeah.
11:24No, no, no, that's fair.
11:25Hey, listen, I, I think I'm with you.
11:27I think 24 is way, way too many.
11:30I think a lot of people think that,
11:31but I do understand the,
11:33the business side of, uh, of things
11:35and, and college football and what it's become.
11:37By the way, for any complaints
11:38about college football, Mario,
11:40I know you're getting ready
11:41for the game all morning,
11:42but the games all day long
11:43with what we talked about earlier,
11:46college football, NIL transfer portal,
11:49nobody cared about that on Saturday.
11:51It was just great college football to watch.
11:53A lot of them going down to the wire
11:55and a lot of underdogs winning.
11:57Well, you know what?
11:58We can, we can talk about
11:59and complain about the portal
12:01and NIL and all that stuff,
12:03or we could simply adapt or just die.
12:06I mean, that's it, right?
12:07Just adapt or die.
12:09So we've adapted.
12:10Uh, we are, we feel like we're
12:12on the cutting edge of a lot of things.
12:14And, you know, we, we really believe
12:16in investing in the student athlete
12:18and, and being professional
12:20about our approach
12:21and teaching these guys
12:22how to establish high level,
12:24high end routines
12:25and how to be just a complete pro.
12:27So let's just kept, you know what?
12:30Let's just focus on getting better
12:31and shutting our mouths
12:32and take the next step
12:34as a football team, heal up
12:35and go find a way to go get a one to know.
12:37And this is a part
12:38that I always hate on Monday morning.
12:40I hate doing with you
12:41what I'm about ready to do,
12:42but you are now.
12:43Don't do it.
12:44Don't do it.
12:45Don't do it.
12:46Okay.
12:47Well, listen,
12:48now everybody knows who you are.
12:51You're, you're at the top.
12:52And is there a message
12:54as you go into meetings now
12:55with the team?
12:57Yeah, we're at the top of what?
12:59I mean, last time I checked,
13:00there's never been a trophy handed out
13:01or a parade for anyone
13:03that's done anything
13:04halfway through the season.
13:05You know, it's,
13:06it's as simple as that.
13:08And if we need to look at
13:09who's been in that spot
13:10over the last six weeks,
13:12I mean, that tells the story tenfold,
13:13right?
13:14So, look, we,
13:15we like to believe that,
13:17that we have a culture
13:18that is focused on us
13:20and understanding that
13:22all the pitfalls
13:22that come with this stuff.
13:24And at the same time,
13:25you have to get on it
13:26and you have to stay on it relentlessly
13:28because in this game for us,
13:30we like being the hunter.
13:32We like being the alpha.
13:33We don't believe in all that other BS
13:35and all that nonsense
13:35that comes with rankings
13:37and ratings and predictions
13:39and all that BS, man.
13:40Let's just go to work,
13:41shut our mouths.
13:42Let's get better.
13:42Just to follow up to that,
13:44I always wonder
13:45because the social media stuff,
13:46I'm not very good at it personally,
13:48but it is part of the culture
13:50for young people.
13:52Is it something you still have
13:53to remind your team of all the time
13:55or is it just a,
13:56it's a pretty mature team overall,
13:58the way they handle things,
13:59especially with your leadership
14:00on that team,
14:02but is it something you have
14:02to remind your team of?
14:04Absolutely.
14:05It's a,
14:05you constantly educate your guys
14:07just like you would at home
14:07with your own children, right?
14:09That part never stops.
14:10I mean,
14:11we had some uncharacteristic penalties
14:13the other night, man.
14:14The stuff that really pisses you off
14:15and you know what?
14:16When we're getting after it,
14:17it ain't going to be pretty
14:18and that's okay
14:20because to me,
14:21that's the greatest form of respect.
14:22Confront the man
14:23the very most of your guys
14:24and make sure you bring
14:25everything to the forefront
14:27right between the eyes,
14:28right?
14:28and then move forward
14:30and get better,
14:31right?
14:32And games like that,
14:33Joe,
14:33you know,
14:34you've been in the middle
14:35of them.
14:35The old AFC East,
14:36man,
14:36right?
14:37The Patriots,
14:37Colts,
14:38that's Dolphins,
14:39right?
14:39Yep.
14:39I mean,
14:40games like that
14:41either bring you together
14:42and galvanize a team
14:43or they rip you apart
14:46and make it a finger-pointing fest
14:48and I think that game
14:48did a lot for our program
14:50and our players
14:50and they're looking forward
14:52to just getting in here
14:52and getting better.
14:54Well,
14:54listen,
14:55Coach,
14:55it was a fun one
14:56to watch,
14:57man,
14:57and it was like
14:58an old Florida State-Miami game
15:00in the old days.
15:01It was fantastic stuff
15:02right down the wire
15:03and then you got
15:04a little extra on top of it
15:05for your dollar out there
15:07so it was a fantastic watch.
15:09Congratulations
15:09and I really appreciate
15:11you spending some extra time
15:12with us,
15:12Coach.
15:13I appreciate you,
15:14Joe.
15:14Have a great one
15:15and go Canes.
15:16All right.
15:16Mario Cristobal,
15:17head coach of the Miami Hurricane
15:18joining us this morning
15:20as we continue on,
15:22man,
15:226-0 Canes,
15:23getting ready now
15:24for the Pitt Panthers
15:25at home,
15:27by the way,
15:28have lost their last two games,
15:29now 5-2 on the season.