Everything Mario Cristobal Said Ahead of Texas A&M Playoff Game

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes are in their second week of preparation, as it is finally game week for the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has been in preparation mode since the Canes were announced in the CFP. With two weeks' worth of time to study and prepare, the Canes continue to work towards the upset on the road.

Cristobal had his weekly press conference, the first CFP edition, highlighting some of the things that stand out about his team.

Opening Statement…

"Really excited, enthused for the opportunity to get to get to go to College Station this Saturday."

On having an extra week for preparation…

"You really have two game weeks. You don't have the brunt of the physicality of a game last week, but you still use that Saturday as a practice because you want to make sure your bodies, aren't don't want that acute spike the week of the game, right? You want to make sure that you're in process. And we felt that we were getting stronger in the month of November, and we're playing our best football at the end. We wanted to continue that trend. So, to do so, we we just went right to what we do systematically, and consulting with our Sports Science Department as well, and attacked it. And we feel like we're in a really good spot the balance of physicality and practice and getting your guys healthy."

On whether it feels like a long time ago when he got on the plane to Miami from Oregon…

"Yeah, it seems a pretty good while ago. In the early days when you I've been very fortunate to be around some awesome people and be part of essentially three rebuilds. Those early years are like dog years, you know, they're tough. But we never strayed from the vision, from the process. We have incredible people that have worked at it. And I think the best part of all the people involved is that there's no relax syndrome. The moment it was announced, it's like, 'Okay, let's let's get the preparation. Let's get right to work to make sure we give ourselves the best chance of being 1-0 on Saturday."

On how his team can be a more explosive rushing offense…

"Well, I think it's improved the last month or so. I think we've created more explosive plays. I think it's a combination of a lot of things. Sometimes you're not blocked up like you should be, sometimes a guy falls off, sometimes the wide receiver doesn't get to a safety, sometimes you should throw it on that particular down. But I think we have gotten more in sync. I think we've created some opportunities with some other guys in there as well. Mark [Fletcher] was on the mend. He's fully healthy now, so I think we're in a good place. We've run the ball effectively for all the years we've been here, and we feel we're turning in that direction again, but we're always assessing and analyzing and adapting where we can to get better."

On what DE Rueben Bain and OL Francis Mauigoa have meant to the program…

"I talk about it all the time, like those were the guys that would wait for us outside of Hard Rock after those tough early games when we first got here, back in '22. They're the ones that bought into a vision, that were willing to just ignore the noise and all the craziness surrounding a tough season, and they were going to be the ones. They were going to be the ones that were the agents of change. So to see them get the opportunity here in their third year to continue playing this caliber football and be in the playoffs in December, I know it means a ton to them. But just like we talked about a second ago, their whole concentration and focus is on the preparation. I guess the best way to say that there's no 'arrived syndrome.' It's to get back to work mentality."

On how they've improved their pre-snap struggles from the SMU game and how they stay sharp at Kyle Field…

"Yeah, it's certainly one of the best environments that you'll see in football or any sport for that matter. And certainly, I think our approach to the mechanics and the processes involving the cycle of the snap have really been effective. And I think you see that in our pre-snap, I would say, improvements over the past four games. So you have a lot of mechanisms within your facility to prepare for when you're going to hostile environments, and you have to completely dive into it, be consumed by it, and prepare your guys to the best of their ability so that they enter any environment with confidence."

On how to know his team is in the right place mentally for a big game like this…

"Sure, that's a good point because if you start to deviate from that, then you create anxiety, and that kills performance. The best thing about this team, besides the fact that they're fun, they are really good. They're fun to be around. They are. Is that they love to work. They love the grind. They find opportunities to get better on their own by pushing, they push coaches. Like, collectively, they they almost require your coaches to be on edge, to provide them with the best information, the best real work, the best film sessions they could possibly have to improve and get better. So a very hungry, driven team. It's a team with tremendous heart as it relates to football and off the field as well. They deserve our very best. They get it every single day, and we're going to continue to give it to them. But they're in a good mental space because, again, I think they were wired the right way, but I think we've also wired this team, you know, because by the end of the season, your team is wired a certain way. We believe strongly that this team is wired in the right manner."

On how he assess his defense against other dual threat quarterbacks the team has faced this season…

"Well, certainly Marcel Reed is the best one that we played. I mean, what you learn that if you're not disciplined, you're going to pay the price and chunk plays, right? Extended plays, improvisations, guys just breaking free. And you're looking at a quarterback that keeps his eyes down the field, has a great connection with his wide receivers. Because when he does find time and space, everybody's working, right? That's a dangerous part of a team, and that has a quarterback that can extend plays like that, right? All the off script stuff. But what to learn that you know in football particularly, and when you play really good teams, that there's very little wiggle room. The margin for error is very small, and that communications at a premium, right? Everybody understanding exactly what to do and doing their job, as opposed to trying to make a play. Those things are paramount. And the more you practice it, the better you get at it. Fortunately for us, we've gotten better and better defensively as the years gone on, and you've got to be at your best when you're playing against the best players in the country."

On what makes Texas A&M so good on third down…

"Well, I would say that, number one, they get you in difficult third down situations. You don't see a ton of third and shorts. I think that starts with identification, right? The looks that you're going to get will create pictures that make you sometimes guess, right? Is it a four down rush concept? Is an odd or bare rush concept. Who's capped, knowing that that might be a threat, and who's not. There are sim pressures. There are zone droppers. The combination of bluff and bringing it that they present and the way that they attack your protection rules is what makes it difficult. And therefore you see free hitters. Now, when you don't have free hitters, what you see is a very talented front. A very physical, explosive, extremely highly technical defensive front. Like they win their one on ones. Sometimes their best third down stuff is just rushing the four guys because they're so explosive, they're so quick, they're so powerful, they get their hands on people, and they get rid of blockers. So I think all those things combined make them really good on third down. But it starts with the fact that they're winning first and second down to make third down that much more difficult."

On what makes WR KC Concepcion so difficult to defend…

"The more you watch tape on him. We've been watching him, we actually had a chance to play against him in 2023, is everyone knows how fast he is. I don't think people realize the incredible body control that he has. You watch him when that ball's in the air. I mean, he finds a way to twist and turn and come down with it, one handed, two handed. And if he's not running by you,, and there's several clips on tape where once he has the ball in his hands, he's really tough to bring down. Those feet are moving. Plays with a great to low center of gravity, always moving his feet, very physical, very tough. You could tell they have a really good weight room, really good strength and conditioning program. And I think he exemplifies, you know, that in the way that he plays the game."

On reports that OC Shannon Dawson was a candidate for head coaching vacancies…

"Openly and honestly. I think what happens is, look, I was in similar positions way back, and I was benefited from head coaches that were about promoting their assistance, and if there are the right opportunities to help them in any way that we can, while at the same time, every staff member has to understand this as well as every single player, everybody in the building. He cannot be distracted, okay? And there's a way to handle things. And I think I credit him. You know, we don't report everything that goes on, but you can imagine what this time of year looks like, right? This is the time of year where you get this, *knocks on podium* 'Hey, Coach, you got a second.' And it's not to give me a Christmas present either, right? Talk about things that come up this time of year. Think about how many jobs opened up this year. In the 20s, right? So multiply that. I mean exponentially. The opportunities grow out there, and people always trying to peck away at programs that have good people so but a credit to Coach Dawson and all the other coaches. They've done a great job, because they've all been part of this process, right? And we find ourselves in a situation that you you dream for, you strive for, right? And so that's where we approach it, we have a vow not to let anything or anyone get in the way."

On the key to managing a road environment like Kyle Field…

"It comes down to your preparation because at the end of the day, this is going to come down to the 22 that are on the field, that are actually executing against each other, and execution is at a premium. And to get to that point where you're executing to your standard. It's steps, it's fundamentals, it's a combination of things that you just can't compromise. And these things start in January, right? Like every year now in college football, it's a lot of teams are coaching a whole new team, a one year team, but I would say that you prepare for this way back in January, and then you bring it all together and bring it to life on game week with your level of preparation. And that relates to every part of it, I won't waste your all this time with all the details that go into that. Because you have to when you hit that field, when you're playing great teams like this, great players, great coaches, you have to play fast and you have to play with confidence. There can't be any hesitation, any flinch in your game or your mindset. And certainly we are grateful for the opportunity. We are thrilled. We are excited. We just want to get to work."

On how he manages the conversations with players this time of year…

"I mean, just cancel Christmas. I mean, you got stuff to do. I don't think any coach would feel sorry for themselves. I mean, it's the job, is what it is, and until they figure everything out and how to make the counter make sense, you do what you got to do, I don't think you could sit up here in front of a podium and demand all the things we demand of our players and our staff, and then all of a sudden, January, December is kind of hell for you. And you don't come up here and complain about you just deal with it, right? You do what's best for people, for the program, you do it straight up. And it's just business. It's not personal. Straight business."

On how far QB Carson Beck has come since arriving in January…

"Wow, a lot. I think it's awesome that we practice on Saturday and we give him the afternoon off after we practice. It was great to see a clip of him with his teammates over at the high school state championship games. I think that's really neat. I think it shows the camaraderie of the team, that they're hanging together during free time, and they're going into watching football. Their love of the game, their their passion for the sport is huge. And to see a guy that that came in under so much scrutiny, right, and having to recover from everything else, to grow like he's growing and now come down to the end playing his best football down the stretch. I think it's awesome. It's awesome to see how he approaches each and every day. He's really, really driven. His practices have been outstanding. Happy for these guys, but happy in the sense that I get to push them more. So we're again, we're just excited about working."

On DB Keionte Scott potentially playing Saturday…

"I do. I do. In fact, I feel strongly about it."

On what Scott means to the defense…

"I think he's exactly how you would draw up a football player. I mean not only by his level of play, but his mentality. I mean that guy. And again, look, no one's ever going to get cleared unless a doctor clears him. But there's also a mental aspect that goes into recovery, that you either push yourself mentally and you're positive and you will yourself as part of it. And he has done that, and he looks great, and he's looking great. So we'll see. We'll see what it looks like later in the week. Certainly, I'll have more details on on the health of the entire team by then, but we're in a we're in a good spot. We're healthier than we've been the previous four weeks. And certainly he's a big component of the health of the team."

On if he congratulated Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza on winning the Heisman Trophy…

"Because I didn't know what the rules were. His high school coach. I said, 'Hey, make sure you tell him the family, congratulations.' Adelante. It's certainly a big, tremendous job by him, his teammates. Awesome family, awesome people, and a well-deserved award."

On the issues DE Cashius Howell creates as a pass rusher…

"Yeah, he's the total package. I don't think he gets enough credit for the way he plays the run. If you watch the way that he takes on tight ends, closes out the C–gap. He's off the charts on block destruction because he's really powerful. And the twitch is not just twitch as it relates to speed, It's twitch that relates to power. Comes out of his hips really well, and just slings blockers, just splits double teams. He's excellent. But his get-off is complimented by his second and third step. He can go speed of power, outside, in, out, again, club, rip, swim. I mean, he's got it all. He's got every move, and then he's a relentless competitor, and he has impacted games in a massive manner throughout the entire season. So a guy's that's gonna be playing a long, long time on Sundays."

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.