Miami Head Coach Mario Cristobal addressed the media Monday ahead of Miami's annual rivalry game against Louisville. He started with an opening statement:
"Preparations for a great opportunity this coming Saturday against a top-ten team in Louisville. Very explosive on offense, very disruptive on defense, top five, top ten statistically on defense in just about every single category, and offensively anywhere from top five to top 20 in every category as well. So very complete team, a lot of good football players and a great opportunity for us. And again, a day of really, really good preparation so far."
On the health of Quarterback Emory Williams:
“Emory’s doing well. As you guys saw, he had a significant injury on Saturday, and obviously, procedures we keep those things to ourselves. What gets out there, gets out there. But you know it's not really, you know, our doing. We keep that stuff private. He's doing great. He'll be full go for spring practice. And he's a tough guy, he really is. Tough guy. This means a lot to him, has the full support of his teammates. Saw him this morning, see him again here in a little bit. So very proud of him for his effort and proud of him for the way he handled everything. From the week itself to the game itself and then dealing with, you know, the circumstances…He’s never had a bad day.”
What he meant:
Emory's spirits are high despite the circumstances. His teammates are very supportive. Miami will never release details of an injury. Williams will be back for spring practice.
On Williams putting his body on the line to convert a first down in a critical moment:
“I think it says a lot about him, says a lot about football, you know? Football is the ultimate competitive opportunity in sport, and it could be unforgiving at times, right? It'll push you to your limits and beyond, and it's going to force you to deal with adversity, you know, and you're going to have a breakthrough, you're going to have a breakdown. Guys like that, you know, they find a way to break through, and then that's all he wanted to know. You know, besides, you know, being in a little bit of pain, you know, did I get a first down, did I get a first down? What's up with the replay, you know? So he's uh, no, he's a…I think he embodies, like a lot of the guys that you guys have a chance to meet and speak with. Just feel like the DNA is right, and the DNA is improving on a daily basis around here.”
What he meant:
His effort on the play is symbolic of the competitive nature of the team. The sport of football will test your limits and cause many to achieve or retreat. Williams was very concerned with getting the first down amidst his pain.
On the quarterback competition this week:
“It’s always reasonable because we're going to compete every single week at just about every position, but Tyler [Van Dyke] is going to be the starting quarterback going in. Jacurri is going to compete. Jacurri [Brown] is going get a lot of reps, and he's a really good player.”
What he meant:
Van Dyke will likely be the starter on Saturday, but Brown will get an opportunity to prove that he should be the starter this week in practice.
On how Van Dyke is handling going in and out as the starter:
“Being a quarterback at Miami, you got to be tough, you know? You got to have thick skin. You got to be a competitor. He's all that. He handled last week like a pro. Which means disappointed, upset, really fought hard all week, and it was a great week of practice by both guys, in fact, at the end of the week. So I felt like, man, we've made a lot of progress, felt like as a staff. And as players together, we did a better job of putting things together, knowing that is going to be a difficult team to move the ball against, particularly through the air, where they had excelled. But because of his performance last week, because of his determination, his past successes, you know, that's what your job as a coach is, is to provide clarity. Remove the clutter and make people better, and he is, he's done really, really well. He's handled everything really well, and he has confidence from his teammates and the coaches.”
What he meant:
Van Dyke is mentally prepared to start against Louisville. Based on past experience and recent progress in practice, the staff felt that Van Dyke was the right choice.
On backup Quarterback Jacurri Brown:
“He's developed in a lot of different ways as it relates to. Not only…everyone talks about that he’s a good athlete or whatnot, but he’s developed as a passer. By that, I mean going through his progression, being accurate with the football, understanding the offense, understanding how to get us in and out of plays, understanding of protections, you know, because extending plays, yeah, some of it is natural, but some of it is understanding, okay, we're kind of, we're in a rough spot here. But if I could hang in there and use my eyes to pull this particular defender out so that I could find a way to get through, extend, maybe flatten out, and get the ball down the field, I can't. He continues to evolve in that way. And you know, he played last year. And the whole thought going into this year is like, hey, if we could, you know, with Tyler being the starting quarterback on the season, if we could find a way to preserve a red shirt, we could. It would be great for all of us because he has such a bright future here at Miami. And then the last couple weeks, it was kind of muddy, and you know, Emory had received a lot of the preparation time. So that's the route we went to. So, that being said, yeah, he continues to get better and better. He's got natural leadership skills. You saw some of it flash last year, like you mentioned in the Georgia Tech game, both throwing the football, running the football, improvising, extending plays, and he'll be doing that all week in practice. Again, he's very much competing and working really hard.”
What he meant:
Brown has developed at throwing the football and everything that comes with being a quarterback. The goal was to preserve Brown's redshirt. Emory received much of the reps, which is part of why they went with him.
On Offensive Lineman Zion Nelson is close to playing football again:
“I think he is. I know he's frustrated. He's a great human being, by the way, and obviously a really good football player as well. The nature of his injury just requires time, you know? Time and tweaks. And I can't get into specific detail as to what that is, but when you're a big body, you want to make sure you get it right just because those guys have so much more stress, right? So much more power and force in all their movements. So we feel very confident that we're going to get there. It's certainly taken longer, you know, than all of us would have ever wanted or expected, but whatever time it takes, we're willing to him, number one, right? You want to do what's best for the student-athlete and for the team, too, because the moment he gets healthy, an instant boom for our offensive line and for our team.”
What he meant:
Nelson is continuing to work to get back on the field, and the staff will be patient with the situation, given his size and position. He could be a boost for the offensive line if healthy."
On coaches that may want to seek other opportunities:
“I mean, it's your job to help guys get an opportunity if they really want it, you know because I've had great coaches at I've worked for that when something came about, they might give me a hard time, but if they knew it's something I wanted, they eventually would come around and help me out. So I do believe in that and at the same time, it's no different than your organizational chart for your players. You keep one on coaches around the country because…and that thing evaporates quickly as well, right? It's almost, it's a race and, but it's a race where you have to be patient too because sometimes you know the person and sometimes you might be on your chart where, great reputation, pretty good, statistically, I don't know them. How's this thing going to fit? And you know, a lot of the progress that we're having is because of the fit and the people, you know? People that want to be here, people are willing to work hard that understand that like, you know, to go where we want to go, you have to be fully invested, you know, and that's why, you know, things are moving, you know, in the direction, you know, that we want to go and got to, keep and understand we got to keep getting better and better and better. So, this time of year, it's, you know, it's always crazy, always has been, always will be. I think you just deal. It's no different than no penalty on the field. Well, let me not go there. It's no different than a situation on the field that you got to handle, you know, turnover or something else. You just, you deal with it, and you go.”
What he meant:
Cristobal is willing to help coaches find the best spot for a coach. The coaches that he has brought in fit the culture that he is trying to build.
On players transferring:
“No one knows where college football is headed, right? It's just ever-changing. Yeah, I don't judge. I don't judge. Should those moments come and whatnot, and I've seen it happen before. I've experienced it before. You just don't judge. You just do whatever is best for the team. That's all that matters. You know, at the end of the day, when you put your head down at night for the few minutes you get to put it down at night. You do it knowing that no matter what, at all costs, you're doing what's very best for the team. Nothing else. Nothing else can override that. Nothing.”
What he meant:
Cristobal will not judge a player that wants to exit from the program. He is solely focused on the betterment of the football team.
On starting several true freshman against Florida State:
“Actually, Riley [Williams] I believe, was in series two or three; we were planning on starting six. I think that's a couple things. Number one, confidence in them. Two, their development. Three, the caliber of players that we're bringing into the program, right, which is Miami caliber players. That was always the case, right? Miami should be littered with classes stacked like that. It's our first full class. They've worked hard. They've earned it. Some guys were here mid-year, some guys got her in the summer. Mark Fletcher got here in the summer. Damari Brown got here in the summer. That's hard, you know? To be able to turn that thing around and get the starting position. What CiCi plays, Francis [Mauigoa], what he plays, that's hard. You know, I know he was here mid-year, but it's hard to go and play in that environment where you can't hear the snap count, and you're going against, you know, some guys are third, 4th and 5th-year players. So, it's a testament to them. It's a testament to the leaders that have helped groom them, to their coaching as well, and to their commitment to preparation, so it's exciting. I mean, call it what it is, you know? Are we…we're always gonna be very upset. We're going to be beyond just gut-wrenching pain when we don't achieve our goal, but the best way to describe the sentiment in the locker room is…driven, driven.”
What he meant:
The number of freshmen that played against FSU results from the trust the players have built in the coaching staff. The staff is doing a great job of bringing in high-caliber players and developing those players to play during games. The players are driven to continue to grow to result in more wins on the field.
On the progress of the offensive and defensive line:
“Miles. Strataspheres really. You always want to see where you're in the trenches because that's the hardest part to develop. Because if you can't block or you can't knock back the line of scrimmage and tackle. That takes two or three years to develop. I know the portal has changed that some, right? You know, you could find some more mature bodies, but you still have to hit on those bodies. And if any part of a roster is protected by programs, it's the trenches, right? Seldom do you see high-level trench guys, you know, bounce around portal. So that was an area that was just glaringly just lacking, you know? And it showed up in the short-yardage goal-line situations a year ago. We couldn't, you know, couldn't run the ball very well, couldn't protect the passer very well, couldn't defend the run very well, and it starts up front. So, yeah, it's a, it's a tremendous turnaround in all phases and not only an influx of talent but also really player development. A lot of guys that had been here or just got here they really worked hard to develop great core strength, great power, right? Hips, legs, you know, upper body, striking, block destruction, unlocking hips, running feet through contact, so you know? Kind of go off on a tangent there, but you know what I mean. It's the most important...it's the hardest part to develop. So we're really enthused about that progress there because that could lead to all the other stuff, you know? When you look on Saturday, if you broke down the difference in the game statistically, the game’s, pretty even, right? There's a couple really mature portal skill guys that made some critical plays down the stretch you know, for the other team, and credit to them for doing that. I don't, you know, you don’t, take out away from them. They've made those plays. Our guys are getting better, and we're going to keep finding ways to get better and keep finding ways to be more impactful and bringing more impactful guys at all positions.”
What he meant:
There has been tremendous progress on the offensive and defensive lines. This was an area of deficiency last season. The position group rarely will seek other places to transfer. Miami will continue to aim to bring in more bodies that can further improve the play on the line of scrimmage. Florida State's transfers made plays that were the difference in the game.
On Damari Brown and Jadais Richard starting at defensive back:
“They were excellent. Those guys were excellent. Big, they're fast, they're physical, they're fearless, you know? They did a really good job and a lot of contested throws, as well. Some of the timing, you know, back shoulder things, those are hard, man. You know those nine stops when that ball is thrown to a player with a catch radius as big as you'll see in college or Pro Football. Those are hard. But those guys battled. They were physical. They never shied away, you know? And the plays that they did give up were plays that you know the other team at the scratch and claw for, So really proud of them, both of them and I really let them know. We all let them know. Really proud of them for their efforts. Bright futures.”
What he meant:
Brown and Richard played at a high level and were acknowledged for their efforts. They were physical with the larger FSU receivers. The plays that the Seminole receivers made were tough catches. Cristobal is excited about the future of both players.
On if he got an explanation on that was not ruled a safety:
“Let’s catch some Cuban coffee later this week or something like that.”
On Jacolby George’s performance:
“I love that guy. That guy is, you know, he's developing so much and, you know, I've said it before, I want to push him hard because he carries a lot of responsibility and he really is an awesome young man, and he's a guy that's guys a limit and, you know, the more he develops, the more you're going to see that of him, you know? He's got great wiggle, he's got unbelievable balance, body control, and he can track the ball and when you have a game like that against the secondary in tough situations like that, that long one, I don't know if you saw that the way he leaned into it, laid hands and then still through some obstruction found a way to catch it. It's high-level stuff. That route down there, that delayed fade down at the goal line. That's hours and hours and reps and reps of practice. So it's great to see that pay off for him and for the quarterback and for the offense. So, it's something great to build off of, you know? I think the more confidence guys get when they touch the ball like that and make plays, the more you could build off of that. And hopefully, you know, we intend to see more and more from him and the rest of that receiving crew.”
What he meant:
Cristobal admires George and will continue pushing him to be all he can be. George is elusive with the ball in his hands, and his plays against FSU were high-level. George has put in the work to make those types of plays. The more opportunities he gets, the more confidence he and the rest of the wide receivers will have.
On the pace of the season as it comes to a close:
“I don't know if I've thought that far, that deep in advance, man. You know, right now it's like, you know, we're on, you know, third down and red zone and chopping away at that stuff and formational stuff and really studying their personnel. You know how much I love ball. I mean, I live and die this stuff. So, for me, it's just, everything is geared toward how can we help our team be successful? How can we help make Miami better? How can we find a way to keep progressing? How can we continue to move the program forward? Eliminate issues, eliminate penalties? You know? That just doesn't stop. So that eats up. That eats up every second of the day. There's no personal time.”
What he meant:
Every moment is focused on how Miami can be better in that moment, and not much thought lands anywhere else.
On Running Back Henry Parrish health status:
“I think he’ll be healthy enough this week. I mean, he was healthy enough to play; just didn't look like he was up to full speed. And the other guys were. Same thing with AJ, you know? Thought that they were two days away, three days away, you know? Like they were right at the cusp, and those other guys were running the ball really well. So we went with those guys.”
What he meant:
Parrish should get carries this week. Neither Parrish nor Allen was healthy enough to play against FSU.
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