Everything Mario Cristobal Said After Penalty Fest Against Central Michigan

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — No. 6 Miami (4-0, 2-0 ACC) walks out of Hard Rock Stadium fairly clean with another massive offensive performance, but there is still so much for them to clean up.

The Hurricanes struggled with penalties all night, which either pushed them back or kept Central Michigan on the field longer than necessary.

Even in a 52-3 victory, head coach Mario Cristobal still expects more out of his team, even if he was happy that his team, which won a National Championship in 1991, got celebrated.

Here is what he had to say after the victory:

OPENING STATEMENT

"The first shoutout goes to the fans. What a turnout and it was amazing energy that they brought. The players felt it big time and I hope the fans had a great time. It looked like they had a great time. We want to provide that for our fan and for our community. It was awesome to see the 1991 team. I was on that team and those memories are forever. It is one of the main reasons why I jumped at the chance to come back to Miami when it was offered to me.

"Credit to Central Michigan because they are a really good team and well coached with players who are hard workers, but after that first drive we got our cleats in the ground and the defense allowed one first down and the offense scored on its next six possessions to really create separation. The penalties were an issue. It is something we have to work on and improve. We rotated guys on the offensive line and a couple guys were hold out precautionary. By the seven minute mark of the third quarter, our front line guys gave way to some of the reserves."

ON GETTING THROUGH THE FIRST FOUR GAMES WHILE DEVELOPING THE DEPTH…

"In game one, our starters played 2.5 quarters and it was the same thing in game two. In game three at Wake Forest we played a good opponent and then I think our guys on defense this week had a play count of about 28 to 32 before the reserves started rolling in. You want to play football. A low play count can create some rust, which you don't want, but the best thing for our football team is to develop guys and give them a chance to play and see what they can do under the lights."

ON THE RUNNING BACK PRODUCTION IN THE GAME…

"I think those guys ran hard. We mixed some things up upfront and we didn't have the same issues on third down as we did towards the end of last week's game. We did a much better job up front. Jordan Lyle got back in there and shook some of the rust off. He is going to be alright. He is going to be back in form sooner than later. Chris Wheatley-Humphrey with his first 100 yard game and credit to him because he works his butt off. Mallory and Pringle continue to excel and get better and better. We feel like Mark Fletcher is healthy and ready to go. He was banged up to the point where it may not have been the best choice to put him in there, especially with his running style because he runs hard. It was more holding him back. He is ready to roll."

ON THE DEFENSE FORCING SOME TURNOVERS…

"Yeah unfortunately we had a touchdown called back which would have been a great play. It was a great sack and scoop and score and Damon took off. We swarm to the ball and some times the missed tackles are due to the fact that we really sell out and run to the football. If you leverage the ball correctly and know where your help is, some times you are going to have some of those, but I felt like we swarmed better and tackled better. Overall I feel like that was a part of our game that we improved."

ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE ROTATION…

"We will see. It is always hard until you look at the film. You saw the guys that have been starting and the guys that came in, sustaining blocks. So much of this game is chasing and finishing and having the will to outwork your opponent. Keep yourself between him and the ball. It is a huge point of emphasis. The entire unit is getting better. We had some holding calls and a couple of them were down the field, which we have to clean up. We need to do a better job of coaching it and keeping our hands inside."

ON AHMAD MOTEN AND ARMONDO BLOUNT…

"Armondo got a little bit banged up early. Lower body stuff and all the tests were good for us, so he is going to be ok. Ahmad got nicked up last week and he is such a physical player, so he is right there and ready to roll. I don't see any limitation on him [moving forward]."

ON THE PENALTIES…

"They were aggressive more than anything else. They were downfield blocks and guys trying to get a piece of somebody. We have to be a little bit more sensible as it relates to a block on a quarterback. I didn't see it so I have to go back and watch it. Malachi's offensive pass interference is something I didn't agree with, but it is still called and so this is not a court case. There is no jury. There is a dictator. If it is called, then we have to work on it and clean it up. I saw a lot of aggressive play that ended up in penalties and we didn't have that before tonight."

ON BEN CONGDON…

"Ben and Jamal Meriweather both got reps tonight and alternated series. I think all of those guys out there seemed like they created movement up front and vertical push and finished blocks."

ON DARIAN MENSAH’S PERFORMANCE…

"He spread the ball around good and extended plays. He had great pocket presence and protected the football pretty well. He used his feet tonight in an awesome manner. Normally we wouldn't try and do that in two minute from our three yard line, but after that first play we let it rip. Him and the offense have been so good in two minute. We had confidence in it."

ON THE 1991 TEAM BEING HONORED…

"A lot of arguments this weekend about who the best team in Miami history was. Those 1991 guys, as the years go by those guys get bigger than King Kong and Godzilla. The legends grow. They are my brothers. That is the magic of football and the University of Miami. It hits you hard. We are different and from different parts of the country as you can imagine. Ethnicity, skin color, hairstyles, and they are my brothers for life. That is what being a Cane is all about."

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