Everything Mario Cristobal said Ahead of Thursday Night Game Against Florida A&M

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Week one is in the books, and No. 7 Miami has started to show that it is one of the better teams in the country.

However, it is week one. The Hurricanes defeated Stanford 45-6 to kickstart the season and conference play on a high note. Now they return home to battle Florida A&M (1-1) in their home opener.

After the Cardinal victory, the Hurricanes look to improve after a dazzling offensive air show and strong defensive statement.

Moreover, head coach Mario Cristobal knows that with the dominant victory, there has to be improvement. He spoke with the media ahead of the Thursday night home opener to break down how his team did and what can be improved.

Here is everything that he said:

Opening Statement…

First and foremost, I want to thank our fans that showed up in strong fashion in Palo Alto. We we felt them, we heard them. I'm glad our players got a chance to thank them after the game as well. And then our alumni, who you know, they show up for every game, and you guys see a lot of the same faces. I want to give a special shout out to guys from last year's team that showed up: C.J. Daniels, Keionte Scott, Reuben Bain, and Akheem Mesador, who on their last weekend before they start their NFL careers, they took the time to come out and and visit us, and they actually spoke to the team before we left the hotel, and got on the busses, and they were there with us the entire time, as you saw them. They are excellent coaches. So, but again, really grateful for them.

"I'm proud of our team for going on the road and taking care of business. A lot of things that we made progress on that we felt we were making progress throughout camp, and other things that we have to continue to improve upon. But I'll start with the offense.

"Offensively, scoring on six to seven drives to start the game off, six to seven touchdown-wise, 4-for-4 in the red zone, and you have 11 on third down. Pass protection was really good. Energy was through the roof. The running game was muddy. You know, some yards were tough to come by, loaded boxes and other stuff. We just have to continue to work on and get better. And then on defense, holding them to six points and 5-of-15 on third downs, 0-2 on fourth downs. At one point, they were 2-of-10 of 10. [Played] a lot of our players, and I think that's invaluable. Think it's priceless, and in a day and age where the seasons are long, the rosters are actually smaller nowadays from what we were allowed to a couple of years ago, it was good to see our guys got a bunch of playing time. A lot of guys showed a lot of promise. So, that being said, questions, please."

OJ Frederique Jr. Injury Update:

"OJ suffered a pretty good injury, a pretty significant injury, so he'll be down for a while."

On CB Damari Brown filling in for Frederique...

"Damari looked good. A lot of good stuff. He's very physical. We put those guys on islands and for the most part he did a really good job. Very physical in the run game, and on pressure in terms of the young guys, a lot. You know, we played [Camdin] Portis a bunch. Brody [Jennings] come along really, really well. Ryan Mack, I think, is really playing better and better every single week. The guy we're depending upon. You guys saw J.J. Dunnigan in there. Obviously, a very physical presence. A guy that could play zone, man coverage, and stick his face in there in the run game and play in the box as well. So a lot of guys play really, really well. I like to single out Zachariah Poiser. I mean, really, really played the game like a veteran that was hungry and driven to show that he can be a game-changer for us. So you saw him and Armondo Blount were Players of the Game on defense."

Offensive line Performance Review...

"Pass protection was really good. The one miscommunication up front on the first touchdown was between the back and the offensive line, which we shored up later, and that part of it was really good. And then in the run game, there were some hits and misses, and they committed completely to loading the box as we all saw, and when they do that, you have to do what we did, which is take advantage of the capacity. So again, I think we are we're constantly looking to get better. There's no area where we felt we hit it out of the park completely, and certainly, we got right back to work with a tremendous amount of energy. But I do think that was maybe the best part of us showing up out there. We showed up there with a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, and we packed Greentree and took it on the road with us. And I want to give a special shout-out to our operations team, too, because setting that whole thing up when it's not the postseason and going away for three days isn't the easiest task.

"And then our sports science department with Eric Renegan and our strength and conditioning program led by Erv Young-they just, along with our nutrition staff, I mean, we and they set up an unbelievable regimen for us to have our best chance at success and be at optimal levels. And to be able to get back and hop right back into work. You know, these are full-throttle practices, and it doesn't slow down. So, so probably said a lot already, but I'm just looking forward to getting in front of our fans, our people here at Hard Rock on Thursday night."

On how the program approaches the short week after a cross country game...

"Yeah, we landed at 8 a.m. I think was 8 a.m. and then by the time we got back, it was 9 a.m. So, guys took a small nap because everybody wanted to watch college football, right? And got right to that. Ate a bunch of food, graded the game, just like we would on any regular day. And then we were in here bright and early on Sunday and treated Sunday like a Monday. And then you have to subtract the day, so you subtract more of a Tuesday, Wednesday practice than anything else. So today was kind of a combination of both the same amount of reps as you would on one or the other, but a physical day today, and tomorrow is a physical day as well, but just abbreviated like you would a Thursday, and then Wednesday for us will be a Friday walkthrough and go right into the game. They had played a game before the one they played yesterday. Yesterday was delayed, so we did have some information. You do some advanced scouting and advanced prep, but again, I just-I mean, to me, look at them, Coach Gray, just a tremendous, playing career and coaching career and whatnot. And I think, he's a proven winner and he's got his guys playing at a really really high level from a physicality and effort standpoint. So preparation really doesn't change for us. We just whatever comes our way, we go with it."

On an update on RB Jordan Lyle...

"Process is still running their course. As soon as we get an update, I'll be sure to get that to you."

On WR Malachi Toney as a blocker...

"It's a huge part of it for us, and I think you know who is a good person to speak with? Speak with C.J. Daniels when you get a chance. And besides his excellent receiving skills and route running, a big reason why he's such a great fit out there, where he's at in the NFL with the Rams, is the fact that he knows how to hunt him up, how to fit, how to run his feet through contact, use his hands, play low to high. Great technician in the run game, understanding throws on the perimeter versus getting in the box, getting involved, chipping on the big guys at the line of scrimmage when you have to. It is part of the position, you know. Here you have to be able to block and get physical to be able to play."

On Armondo Blount:

"That guy, I remember being just arriving here and going over. He was at Dillard High School at the time, and always saying, 'That's a priority must get, game changer type of guy.' You know he got here young, right? He was a reclass and a reclass that came in with a shoulder injury, so a lot to catch up on. He's about as relentless as you can get as a player, and his body has exploded, right? He was a 235, 240-pound guy when he got here. He's probably tipping the scales at 275. Sometimes it's 280. He could play outside, inside, and he's technical. He's smart. He's explosive. He's strong. He plays with great and heavy hands and great feet, balance, body control, and power. And you saw him. I mean, he forced a holding call. We actually forced five, and accepted for them against a scheme that had a lot of chipping, a lot of boots and wags, rollout stuff, anything to buy the quarterback time. They try to affect our edges in a big time way. So, even though the stat line says one sack, five times they held our guys. I know we hit the quarterback a good number of times as well. So, Armando was a guy that was, along with the others, responsible for leading that charge."

On playing at Hard Rock Stadium...

"I mean, there's nothing like playing in front of your people here in Miami, right? And our players, as time has gone on here, the amount of pride that has been built, that has been just appreciated here, is our hometown. Our people, our community, and the way Hard Rock gets going. It means the world to our guys when they come out to tell them that place is going bananas. And that's what we want every single week. Push the game back, I believe, till 8 o'clock, right? Game time, so that allows all these supervisors and bosses around Dade and Broward County to allow your employees to make it to Hard Rock on time, so that we can have the appropriate atmosphere. We love that we have an opportunity to bring energy and enthusiasm to the community. That means a lot to us. Like the city of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, all of South Florida, Palm Beach, the entire state, waking up, fired up, knowing that the Canes are going to go out there and do their very best for them."

On DB Omar Thornton's performance on Friday...

"I hope you enjoyed how physical and how fast he plays. That guy loves football. The program he comes from. I believe we have how many players now, 45, players from there, and they're all cut of the same cloth. They are physical, tough, intelligent, high football IQ, high character guys. Coach Mike Smith done an unbelievable job with these guys at Heritage, and they just show up, man. They show up to work every single day. I mean, what you saw at the game is what he does in practice every single day. He forced a penalty as well when he brought pressure from the field or whatnot. So I'm beyond excited about him. He truly is a guy that he changes us with his physicality, with his style of play, and looking forward to more great play from him."

On freshman DB JJ Dunnigan...

"Really good job. High-level player, high capacity, tremendous work ethic. High-level performer, unfazed, fast, physical, strong, active, always swarming to the football. He's just getting started. He has tremendous versatility as well. We can move him all over the place, and we can expect to see a lot more."

On whether the offensive line play met the standard...

"Well, I think there's always both, and in this case, it's both, right? Your standards are going to be so high that you're never going to meet them. There were some moments that were bright in the running game, and other ones that were not, and those have to be worked on and improved upon. And I think for a group starting together for the first time, and a couple real young guys in there, there were some real, real bright moments in pass pro, we went over that was really, really good. In the running game, there were some solid things and some other things that have to be improved upon, and will be improved upon. But there's over here, there's never shying away from work or responsibility, right? Let's get back to work, get it right, handle movements, handle pressure, get your feet in the ground, come out with a flat back, hands inside, a little bit high, and move the line of scrimmage."

On what stood out about Darian Mensah's performance after watching it back...

"Energy and urgency, complete command of the offense, great pocket presence, right? The ball was out quick, on target, extremely accurate. The one time we didn't score of the seven possessions, he actually took a shot, and it was just out of reach. He took a shot to Cooper [Barkate] on third down. That was almost a conversion as well. But everything was just a guy that's very well prepared. Credit to him, credit to Coach Dawson and the staff, and him getting with his teammates as well. It's just a guy that has complete ownership of his craft."

On what Cristobal learned about Darian Mensah regarding post-game work...

"I think he's shown the same thing he's shown throughout camp, really since the day he got here. When he got here during the spring, the amount of time he spent in there just learning the system, and not just learning and not just memorizing, but actually like getting in there with his teammates and talking through it. Right there are some nuances, and there are some things that you want to make sure that you get on the same page on because you never want your quarterback and receivers to be robots. There's going to be green grass in areas that maybe don't line up with what that diagram looks like as it relates to plays or whatnot. Coverages that you see his position, you're going to have to make adjustments and make them quickly. But one aspect that we probably didn't talk about is he sees the field extremely well. I mean, he's a guy that's a very spatial thinker and can see it as it develops, and that pre-snap to post-snap is not overly challenging for him. He understands what they're trying to do on the other side as well as what we're trying to do."

On Mensah watching film with OL coach Alex Mirabal...

"It is in our systems. It is in our system. We have a strong tradition of having protection meetings because if you're blocking with five and they bring six, quarterbacks got to know where that sixth guy's coming from because he's got to handle it by getting the ball out or putting himself in a situation where he's protected, can half roll out of it or just throw hot, right? And then the six and seven-man protection, some of the max protection stuff. He's got to go and have confidence that if the ball is trying to get pushed down the field, that those bodies are going to be picked up, or at least there's people assigned to pick those bodies up. So, the ability to work with the center and changing the protection and making sure he's protected to wherever it's coming from. If he wasn't, those things are critical, as well as putting us in an advantageous running game, right? So his understanding of the game, he's fascinated by it. I think you'll find him and him and actually Malachi Toney are always in there picking at Coach Mirabal's brain as it relates to both protections and the run game.

"So is it rare? We've always done it in our systems dating back to forever, but his appetite for it, like his enthusiasm for it, is awesome, and it shows up on game day."

On the assessment of LT Samson Okunlola...

" Yeah, really, I think he's a perfect example of football development of what college football used to be a while ago, where people are in the system, and they develop, and they eventually get it. But you saw a guy with extremely high talent level, plays really, really hard, heavy-handed, light on his feet, plays a lot of power. He played he played well."

On the status of CB Ja'Boree Antoine and DB Dylan Day...

"Yeah, Ja'Boree is going to be out for a little bit. He suffered an injury where we expect him back in the latter part of the season. Dylan Day will be back soon. His was a non-sports related illness, so if he doesn't make it in time for this game, he'll be back in time for the next."

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