Head Coach Mario Cristobal talked post-game after a 41-17 win over Florida.
Opening statement…
“I thought our guys came out right away and created momentum, seized momentum and when it
seemed like Florida was going to get some of it back, the response was awesome. After the
interception, comes up with a big stop, forced the field goal and it just felt like every time they had
an opportunity to respond, we did. From a 99-yard drive or a 96-yard drive to converting some really
critical down to business situations. A lot of special guys making a lot of special plays.”
On what the win means…
"As you know, nobody really likes to talk about the starting point. I knew when I got to Miami there
was a lot of work to do, and these guys have been through a lot, and they made the decision that it
was enough, they’ve had enough, and they were going to prove that by the way they played the
game. And they did that, and a lot of fans made their way through it. I know they only gave us 4,000
tickets, I don’t know how that’s even legal but, I think a lot of more of our fans found a way to get in
the stadium I want to make sure they’re recognized by our players.”
On Cam Ward…
"Yeah, he’s not bad. Special, special guy, all the stuff you guys were probably wondering during
camp. They talked a lot about Cam Ward - is he really that good? Yeah, he’s just scratching the
surface. He wanted to keep playing and playing so really accurate, improvised, extended plays.
Protection was great, albeit that one play and he’s got a great connection with his receivers. Those
guys are really tight. They’ve repped those plays and adjustments to those plays many times. He just
loves to compete. Every team has a spark plug. Every game has a spark plug. He and a couple of
those other guys, but him particularly, was the guy today. We’re starting to look like Miami in a lot of
different respects. It showed in practice that he’s going to play big and strong today.”
On how much one win can propel a team…
"Well, as long as we keep winning and don’t mess it up the following week. It’s all about the University
of Miami. This one goes to all the players and coaches that work their butts off to make it happen.
This is a big rivalry game for us. I never got to play in a game like this. Miami hasn’t been here in 16
years and hasn’t won in 20 plus years. So, you think this game was big? You think the amount of
animosity and hatred, bad blood between the fanbases, you think it amped it up a little bit? Come
on, it was through the roof. It was off the charts. Rivalry games, last for a year and you can’t do
anything about it until the following year. Certainly, when playing an opponent at that caliber, when
playing against the SEC at one of their stadiums and getting a convincing win like that is great. But
the most important thing we talked about in there was, for the first time in a long time, Miami has had
a chance to play a big game to start the season, and now we got to show we can handle the
success and go get better. That’s really the most important thing. We’re in stages. But today was a
really, really big step and just beyond proud of those guys and their resilience, toughness, and their
work ethic. They did it all.”
On the physicality at Miami…
"Block destruction really showed up. The way we practice really showed up. We practice hard right?
They showed up really well. On the flip side, the quarterback was protected well. I think we finally got
their quarterback and finally forced one to go up and picked. I thought Mish was gone. What a
great play by him and what a great player. Just overall an awesome team effort. We got to clean up
a couple of things that we saw there of course, but awesome day.”
Transcript courtesy of Miami Athletics
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