Everything Mario Cristobal Said Ahead of No. 18 USF

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes (2-0) are off to a hot start and it could get hotter as Hurricane season rolls on in South Florida.

They will take on another team in the Sunshine state as they play the second game against an in-state opponent, this time against No. 18 USF.

Mario Cristobal, per his custom weekly press conference, will kick off week three with the Hurricanes are looking to push themselves as they focus on the Bulls this weekend.

Opening Statement…

"Obviously, a ton of respect for USF their coaches. They're playing as good a football as just about anybody in the country, the way they beat two top 25 opponents, and again, playing at a high level, really explosive football team, disruptive, high energy, physical, tough, well disciplined. Great opportunity for our program."

On how much he can take from last years game against USF…

"They were very different last year, when they played against us. They're very multiple on defense. We saw a lot of man coverage that game, and we were okay running the football, not great until the end, but we hit him on some pass plays. They've been really good in coverage the rest of the season, and to start this season. Defensively, they're top two, top five in just about every category, relative to the important parts of the game. So we can expect to see, I'm sure there's some residue, but Todd Orlando, who we know I had a chance to work with before, is an excellent football coach. Again, big menu, so you got to prepare for a lot."

On what stands out about USF…

"Physicality, speed, guys running to the football, 11 hats of the ball all the time. Good tackling, aggressive corners, guys that could play man coverage but come up and force tackle. Could play multiple coverages, pressure, disguised pressure. A good a handful of stuff that you have to really, really prepare for."

On preparing for a slate of games against teams they beat a year ago…

"I think anytime you step on the field, the game better mean more to you than it does to the other side, regardless of what that logo looks like or whatnot, and that's always the best way to respect football. We're firm believers in that for us. You know, you look at games past, and that game in particular, the score, there might have been separation in the second half, but it was that game was a lot closer, and that game is so far in the past in terms of personnel, schematically, what both sides have are evolving into, what they've shown this year so far that we don't of course, you always watch film because you want to feel for personnel and some tendencies or whatnot, but it's a very different game in '25. So we're looking forward to the opportunity."

On the status of injured players…

"Yeah, I expected Jojo [Trader], [Jordan] Lyle, and [Armondo] Blount [to play]. Hayden Lowe, will be out for the season. This injury's a little bit more significant than what we thought. So you know, he'll come back strong, and he'll be ready for spring football, but he will be out for the season."

On the disappointment of losing Lowe for the season…

"That guy's got an unbelievable future. Tremendous upside. He is physical, he is strong, he loves football. He's young, he makes his mistakes like anybody else. But, yeah, we were looking forward to playing him a bunch, and he got banged up a few weeks ago, and really tried to come back, and it didn't work out. So finally, a decision was made that we got to start getting him ready for spring football for the rest of his career here."

On the challenge that USF QB Byrun Brown poses…

"I think what doesn't get talked about enough is the fact that, I think, he leads the country in the most consecutive passes without throwing an interception. And he could throw it all. I mean, the deep ball is phenomenal deep ball by him, the quick game, the intermediate game. The off-script plays, hard to contain, hard to bring down. He combines the best of both worlds of the college, you know, modern-day quarterback. So he's a big dude, too. He sees the field really, really well. I don't think he ever gets phased. I thought he put an exclamation point on one of his plays against Boise, when he ran through and he came free on that one particular scramble, and he could have glided into the end zone, but he made it a point to go and put a hit on the defender. So he's a winner, and he's tough and he's physical, smart, so great football player."

On DE Marquise Lightfoot and DB Keionte Scott…

"Yeah, Marquise is really coming on. Really getting some valuable snaps. Very versatile, great pass rusher, playing well against the run, agreed, in coverage, does it all. I mean, he's a gifted athlete, he's should be over 230 [pounds] and 6-foot-5.5, on his way to 6-foot-6. He's one of our fastest defenders. I mean, he times up there with the fastest linebackers, and he's only developing more and more and more. Big future for him. So he's been a big factor for us.

"Keionte Scott has been a tremendous addition at nickel, as you have seen, because he's done it in coverage, then in the run game. That nickel position gets challenged, right? You know, people start going formation the sideline and trying to get him into the box if it runs and everything. And he's tough, he's physical, he's a good blitzer. He's a great cover guy, great man-to-man. Guy understands the playbook, top to bottom. He could fill in that corner of safety, you name it."

On the skill level to not throw interceptions over long periods of time…

"Yeah, these guys aren't throwing bubble passes all day. They're pushing the ball down the field, in the form of play action, the form of just drop back. Third down percentage is really high for both, and plays under pressure, completions under pressure are high for both as well. So again, that position, when it has experience and has talent and has a lot of want to, it's a dangerous combination. And both quarterbacks are really highly skilled, highly experienced, and they want to win. So going to be an awesome, awesome opportunity."

On OL Samson Okunlola's progression and development…

"Well, Samson's played great football. I know everybody, it's well documented, he was such a highly touted guy, everyone wanted to happen right away. But that's not the way football works. Football is a developmental sport, and sometimes it pops for guys a little bit later than others, and he's hitting on all strides right now. He's hit on all cylinders right now. He's playing with a lot of power in the run game, a lot of balance and body control, great use of his hands in the passing game. Position versatility–jumps out of tackle and at guard, he could play for the five positions.

"And Ryan Rodriguez is another guy that we consider another co-starer. You know, Max Buchanan showed in the game what he can do. Tommy Kinsler showed what he can do. SJ [Alofaituli] showed a lot of guys showed up in a big way. And again, Matthew McCoy's versatility showed up as well. So we feel like that position continues to develop at a high level. We want to continue to recruit at a high level, because there'll be some departures at the end of the year, but certainly feel very, very strongly about the direction."

On how Okunlola has performed at guard…

"You always wonder, because he's so long, can he actually fit in there and generate power? Right? The A-gaps are really important as it relates to both keeping a clean pocket and then running the football. With Samson, you'd be hard pressed–and we have a lot of these guys now–you'd be hard pressed to find people like him that work as hard as he works. You'll find him in here at all hours. So he has worked himself, he has learned himself into being an excellent football player.

"At guard, which was very new for him, he's learned to play with his feet in the ground and to play with power, with bending his knees and a flat back, which is really important, right? And understanding that those man blocks and combinations, the timing is different than it is outside of tackle, both in the pass game and the run game. So I think the mother of all learning, the repetition, has taken its course, and he's had so many reps at all those that he's really developed into an excellent football player. And he's another one that's just getting started. So we look forward to more great play from him."

On the impact of winning in-state games…

"They're as meaningful as you can imagine, right? To me, anytime you play in state, those things, they're rivalry games, naturally. And they last for an entire year, right? So the fan bases, the alumni, they're all juiced up. The energy brought to the stadiums is awesome. The intensity on the field is felt right away and through the game. And in rivalry games, you know how those go, man, you're never all the way in it, never all the way out of it, right? You've got to play all the way four quarters, 60 minutes until that clock says zero, and overtime if necessary. So certainly, a lot of energy behind our program, the momentum behind it. So we're looking forward to a great opportunity on Saturday."

On USF's offensive line featuring former Power Four players…

"I thought their physicality was very evident in a couple of instances. Number one, the way they finished blocks in the run game and the way they just moved piles. You'll see a lot of stalemates sometimes, and you'll see three, four, five bodies come in there, sink their hips, and move the pile. You see them in the screen game, getting downfield, all tackles, guard, center, getting downfield, and knocking people around. You don't see them standing around at all. They're always active. They're always moving. A lot of respect for them. They're going to chase you. They're going to chase you, and they're going to finish you. It looks like a really good O-line culture."

On the targeting call on LB Wesley Bissainthe…

"It's all teaching moments. We really want to play a physical brand of football, and I don't think anyone can convince anyone that Wesley was trying to harm anybody or bring harm upon himself. It's just, it's ball. Bodies fly around. There's different angles, right? Sometimes the head goes down a little bit more than others, and helmets collide. And there was a day and a time where that used to be considered awesome football, and now you just have to be a little bit more technical and make sure the crown of the helmet isn't something that's used in a launching manner, because they're gonna tag you, and it's it stinks because he works his tail off, and that guy wants nothing more than to play great football on Saturday. So, lesson learned, and we move on from there."

On K Bert Auburn getting some work, and the kickers forcing touchbacks…

"Well, those two guys have been awesome as competitors, both fighting for the job, and we feel good about either one of those guys being in the game. They've been extremely valuable in that department as any. I mean, kicking the ball nine-deep or out of the end zone most of the time. I think we've had one return on us, and we tackled it inside the 15-yard line. It's a great example of just trusting your eyes and recruiting and evaluation, because I don't know how highly touted they were or they weren't. I don't really follow that stuff, but I know that we trusted what we saw on film, and then have a chance to sit with them, see their processes, what they do, how they do it. We felt strongly that they could be really great players for us. And it's only two games, but big kick game one, and certainly some really impactful kicks in game two."

On the receivers willingness to block…

"You better do it. You better do it. It's got to be team first. And you know what they see too, that it's going to be demanded of them at the next level as well. And you're physical or you're not. And if you're not, they're going to find you. Somebody's going to find you. They're going to expose you. And if you can't display a willingness to hit and take a hit and get right back up, it's just not going to work. So proud of the way that they've approached this in an unselfish manner. The ball has been spread around enough where everyone's touching it at some point in time or another. But it does start with really, really good leadership. I think CJ Daniels has been excellent for that room. I mean, he's as fun and as man, as professional as I've been around. He really has. So glad to see him get off to a good start. I know he's excited. He wants to keep getting better and help his teammates get better, and that's one way he's doing it."

On former staffer Demarcus Van Dyke, who coaches cornerbacks for USF…

"He did a nice job when he was here. He was in an analyst role while he was here, and he was a really, he was a great player while he was here at the University of Miami. So, tons of respect for him and his game."

On how often he talks to his team about behavioral penalties in games…

"Every day. Every single day of our lives, man. Who knows the interaction, the verbal exchange in that moment, and what led to that, but I'm sure was enough to drive someone through the roof. I don't judge it because I don't coach on any of the teams that were involved in that. But in terms of us, we've had our moments in the past that make you want to, you know, I'll stop there. And now I think we've seen probably a half a dozen examples where our guys have restrained themselves for the betterment of the team.

"You saw in game one how a receiver blocking his tail off gets his face mask yanked, pushed. One guy gets punched, and he backed off, or another guy got there to grab you before, 'Hey, don't you.' Your best form of retaliation is to go have success on the next play. And as long as we can keep doing that, put selfish penalties aside, because look down now every, every single game we play is a playoff game, for everybody in college football. So if you are a hot head. If you are easily mentally manipulated, people are going to find you. I tell them all the time the NFL scouts come out here to practice all the time. They look for guys that understand composure, right, and playing football the way it's supposed to be played. So there's a lot to be learned from that example. You just don't ever want to feel the consequences of it. You'd like to be able to learn that by you to learn that by the misfortune of someone."

On USF DC Todd Orlando…

"Todd is good of a professional, as you'll find out there, as a human being and as a coach. Just a high-level teacher, extremely intense, and he's got a big menu. He's done it a bunch of different ways. He's done it with odd fronts, four downs, bear fronts. He's played multiple coverages, disguising. He's brought heat, He's played base. I mean, his background is extensive, and he's had success everywhere he's been. It was always an honor working with him back at FIU, back in the day. He's an excellent coach, excellent human being."