In the aftermath of Miami’s season-defining win over Ole Miss, Mario Cristobal didn’t frame the night as chance or chaos. He framed it as proof of who Miami has become.
When Ole Miss surged late, Miami never blinked. Cristobal pointed to something deeper than a single drive or call.
“I think it’s more a reflection of our players and their DNA and the way that they’re wired,” he said. “So it almost seems like the tougher it gets, the better we play.”
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The Hurricanes battled through penalties and moments that could have derailed them. Cristobal didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Football isn’t complicated; people are,” he said. “When you start jumping offsides and you get some of these pre-snap penalties, you complicate things for yourself.”
What mattered was the response.
“They know exactly who they are, and they know what it took to get us to this point,” Cristobal said. “They were not settling for getting to this point just to get here. 1-0 was the objective.”
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The final drive was deliberate, not desperate.
“On second down, we elected to pass,” Cristobal said. “That’s a scenario we go over a lot as a staff…it was the right way to strategically attack the opponent and give ourselves the best opportunity for the best look to score.”
Miami’s path has been anything but easy. Five straight road games. The last at-large team. A season shaped by belief more than buzz.
“After November 1st, 69 days ago, they made a simple decision to bring energy every single day into the building,” Cristobal said. “Football is about settling it on the field.”
Last night, Miami did exactly that.
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