Everything Mario Cristobal said 38-10 Victory over Syracuse

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Hurricanes have been in the midst of a funk, but after defeating the Syracuse Orange, they were all smiles and cheers after the game.

Even head coach Mario Cristobal loved what he saw from his team, but there was still more that he wanted to see for this team to compete at the highest level.

The Hurricanes are making an argument for one of the best resumes in the country. Cristobal knows that they have to keep winning but is happy with the win and defeating the Fran Brown led team.

OPENING STATEMENT

"I am proud of the way our guys showed up to work on Monday with the right attitude and the right energy. Offensively we got off to a slow start, but the defense was really playing big. Once we got it going, we got it going. I think we were 0-for-4 on our first four drives and then after that we went 4-for-4 as we were ignored by Daylyn Upshaw's play and Keionte Scott's interception, which helped give us momentum and take control of the game."

ON WHAT MIAMI SHOWED VS. SYRACUSE…

"We showed in spurts what a really good football team we are. We also showed that in college football, through the course of four quarters, there is back and forth and stagnant moments. That is why you keep playing and that is why the game is four quarter. Then we showed some of our young players are playing well. We were down six or seven starters and a lot of guys got burn. We have a chance to keep improving and play another great football team next Saturday."

ON BUILDING A LEAD GOING INTO HALFTIME…

"We have been really good in the middle eight for a while. It is important to close out the half and start fast the next half. Keionte's interception and the fumble recovery [was huge]. The players attacked the opportunities and there was a lot of energy. We finally just cut it loose. I think it is that simple. I think we called it more freely and played it more freely and we cut it loose and stopped worrying about the outcome and focused on the process."

ON THE DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE…

"We did a good job of stopping the run outside of a couple. We covered really well and we mixed up our coverages, playing man and playing zone. We took away some of the back shoulder stuff and some of the man beaters. We kept the pressure on the quarterback. He had to make some throws on the run and we kept them off schedule. Their punter did a fantastic job of flipping the field. He negated our punt return. As the game wore on, we just took more and more control."

ON MALACHI TONEY…

"He is ok. It was a knee to knee shot. It is more of a bruising than anything else. Credit to his high school because those [passing] plays were in there and he has been doing that for a while. He commands a lot of attention. Getting him the ball is difficult in the drop-back passing game because of the attention he gets now."

ON THE DEPTH GETTING OPPORTUNITIES…

"I think some guys played really well and some guys are kicking themselves in the butt on that last drive. They got to play. You get to correct some things after a win and that is a positive. The energy and enthusiasm these guys come to work with is important. I told them I really appreciate them. Jadais Richard and Ryan Mack played their first snaps since ACL surgery and that is really big. That is worth noting. We cut down our offensive pre-snap penalties. Also Francis scored a touchdown which was a promise I made to him in recruiting."

ON THE RUN GAME WITHOUT MARK FLETCHER…

"We are still finding our way. Some of the runs were muddy. Some we have to make a guy miss and some we have to block longer. As the game wore on, we started breaking free a little bit more. We had an opportunity to fix it and get better at it. We work hard and grind. We have to continue to find ways to gain yards and score points. Proud of our guys for not diving into anxiety. So many games start slow or end slow and you just have to keep playing as hard as you can for your teammates and your team."

ON GIRARD PRINGLE…

"He has great eyes. He sees it really well. He is very explosive. He has a different gear. He kicked into high gear on the outside run. He was out-leveraged, but he went to another gear and got it. He had some tough yards as well. He has some power to him and he broke some tackles. He was effective at pass protection, but I have to watch the tape."

ON THE TEAM STAYING POSITIVE THROUGH A SLOW START…

"I think there was a positive sense on the sideline. You can get frustrated, but you can't get discouraged. It is a resilient bunch that knows what we are. We are a good football team that has shot itself in the foot a couple times. When Miami is on, we are one of the better teams. We have to do it on a more consistent basis."

ON THE MENTALITY IN THE FINAL STRETCH…

"We are always trying to play as well as we possibly can. Toward the end of this game, we were really banged up. I don't want to count the starters that were down or pulled. You reach a point where you have to decide what is going to be a factor in the final five minutes of football. I feel good about pulling guys due to the games still to be played. As a player or coach, you know about the outside. You know about the big picture and the chaos. It still boils down to us taking care of our business and that is what we intend to do."

Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.