Everything Mario Cristobal Said in the Final Press Conference Ahead of the Fiesta Bowl

The Miami Hurricanes are locked in and so is its head coach Mario Cristobal.

Cristobal spoke with the media on Wednesday morning, alongside Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, before the Fiesta Bowl matchup between the two programs.

Moreover, it was clear where Mario Cristobal's focus was. He was foaming at the mouth, preparing for this game, given his response to many of the questions about the Canes ahead of this game.

Opening Statement...

COACH CRISTOBAL: Thank you for having us. And good morning, everybody. Thank you for being here. Really very grateful for the opportunity and grateful to everyone associated with the Fiesta Bowl and welcoming us. Not only providing a great experience for our people, our fans, and our team, but also providing us with the resources and the amenities to continue to prepare so that we can play our best football. Again, very appreciative and looking forward to tomorrow.

On if Miami is prepared...

COACH CRISTOBAL: Well, I mean, it is what it is. I'm sure if we sat and analyzed it, we would have a really lengthy dissertation and conversation. But I think the powers that be are doing everything possible to make it make sense and make it something that's feasible academically from a football standpoint; from a health standpoint as well, as the year goes on and on. But if you get to this point in the season, regardless of the challenges that come with it, you have to be extremely grateful. Again, an opportunity to play one of the best football teams in the entire country, so press on.

On What being under Nick Saban has meant to him...

COACH CRISTOBAL: Those are great points by Coach Golding. The value of the assistant coach being that they have to carry the message back to their room, to their position guys, to each side of the ball. And at the same time, never let there be division from within. At the end of the day, it still has to be about team. And selecting people that are on board with a philosophy and a vision that's going to be challenging because you have to push people and you have to make them uncomfortable. They have to understand, first and foremost, that every single day, their job is to fight and battle human nature and a tendency to lean towards complacency and being comfortable. I think that's something Coach Saban did in a masterful way every single day, is make sure that that never set into the program.

On the Best Words of Wisdom he has Received...

COACH CRISTOBAL: Well, the best way to say it, and I say this completely with all due respect, it's not really a bowl game. It's a playoff game, right? Start the season with 100-plus teams, and now there's four. Everybody is banged up. Everybody is hurting. Numbers are down. People have exited, so that's the approach. Making sure that we understand that you're here for a purpose and you're intent, and what you've done throughout your entire season leads you to this. You approach it with gratitude and full throttle.

On if the feeling is the same regarding the old days of Miami...

COACH CRISTOBAL: Those are unique times. I firmly believe that those times, that era cannot be duplicated, right? It was just a different college football landscape. But it was awesome. I was a nobody on an unbelievable team with insanely good Hall of Fame teammates. But the experience itself was an absolute game-changer for myself and my mentality. It shaped my DNA, everything that I believe in. My entire belief system was shaped and molded by what I learned during that time. So it's been a 20 plus-year journey to return and not take Miami back but move Miami forward. We've progressed a bunch, and we still have a ways to go. We've earned our way here and we still have to earn every single play, the opportunity that we have tomorrow night. I don't know how to answer that question, not yet. I don't think those things are really assessed, analyzed, and commented on until the season is over. But are we excited and enthused about the progress? Absolutely. Do we have a ways to go? We're not even close to where we need to be, but we're certainly excited to move forward and keep pressing on.

On how Miami is preparing for Ole Miss Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss...

COACH CRISTOBAL: Again, Coach Golding and his staff put together arguably the most dangerous team in the country. They haven't been stopped. They haven't been slowed down, right? Football is an all-11 game, right? Settled by the 22 guys on the field, 11 on 11. When you play great teams that not only are -- from a talent standpoint are an elite level, they have elite-level schemes. They have great coaches, guys that really know how to game plan, find your weaknesses and attack them. You have to be at your very best. Your communication, your ability to line up, to diagnose, react, and play fast are at a premium. So you have to prepare at your very best.

On Keionte Scott...

COACH CRISTOBAL: I can't speak enough good things about Keionte, from the day he set foot on campus. Really, his visit, his transparency, the way he articulated where he was at, why he chose Miami. Mind you, he was a guy that I recruited when I was at the University of Oregon. We knew each other for a long, long time, him, his mom, everybody. But he has a very unique way about him. He is all about action. He's a man of action, backs up his words. But the time invested, not only in his craft, but the time he invests in people and getting to know them, gaining their trust. Being a guy that on a daily basis is going to approach everything like a true professional, it just -- it garners respect, right? Certainly a commanding presence about him, so when he backs it up on the field -- again, I love the guy. I honestly think he's been one of the biggest difference-makers I've ever been around in coaching. Certainly happy for his success so far. He's really excited to play tomorrow.

On How He Handles Others trying to get talent from Miami in the Transfer Portal...

COACH CRISTOBAL: Well, I think it happens all the time. If we don't think it is happening, then we're kidding ourselves. But quite honestly, I don't blame the players. I blame the adults. We created the system, right? We're supposed to be setting the example, right? We're supposed to be setting the standard as it relates to everything. So when you create a system that has as many holes as it does, well, then shame on you if you're surprised by some of the results that come with it. But again, these circumstances aren't unique to just one program. We all are faced with it. Credit to Coach Golding to take over a program in this landscape. Again, I have followed him for a long, long time. We've known each other a little bit, but follow him. Tremendous respect and admiration for what his work has been over the years. I knew he was going to be a head coach. But to be able to navigate all this during this time and still have the type of success that he is having, I think, man, it's off the charts. It's awesome. So we're all responsible to handle it and navigate and manage as best we can.

On his pregame message...

COACH CRISTOBAL: We kind of keep that in-house. It's very real. It relates to us, but in a world where -- No offense to media, you do a great job and you have a job to do. But in a world where the media is so intrusive, there's certain things that you would like to keep private and really confidential within your team. And we would like to do that, with all due respect.

It's consistent and it builds and we work at it. It's something we believe in, and we go at it. Thank you.

On the importance of winning the National Championship in this landscape...

COACH CRISTOBAL: I think it's important to address the fact that tomorrow, the University of Miami and Ole Miss plays each other. The national championship is several days down the line. I think all focus should be placed on tomorrow's game.

On how Coach [Dennis] Erickson's coaching philosophy helps him...

COACH CRISTOBAL: Coach E is awesome. He was actually in town probably a little over a month ago. Imagine Coach Jimmy Johnson leaves for the Dallas Cowboys and you have -- I remember that day vividly. The entire room just waiting, like, who the heck is going to walk in here? Who's going to be our coach? And actually Pinky (Robert Erickson), his dad, walked in first. Wait a second, that's our new coach? Then Coach E walked in after that. I think what Coach Erickson recognized right away is that he was walking into a place that had a tradition and a standard that was going to be upheld no matter what, but that he could also bring some schematic advantages that was going to make Miami even better. Right away, he got along with everybody. He had a way about him where he galvanized us at a time where -- You know how it is, man. When you lose a coach, when you lose a head coach, you either come together or you get torn apart. I think he did an unbelievable job, a lot like Coach (Pete Golding) has done right now to, to bring everybody together. He was demanding and he was fun. He let us cut it loose on game day. Forever grateful to him. My brother (Luis Cristobal) and he changed our lives forever. We're two local Cuban kids, two nobodies who really by the grace of God, and two really, really hard-working Cuban parents that didn't know much English, they gave us a chance, gave us an opportunity. That's why every day that I have an opportunity to work at the University of Miami, I am grateful beyond words. So God bless Coach E.

On the Importance of Long-Heavy Drives...

COACH CRISTOBAL: I think that just moving the sticks, getting first downs, and eventually scoring, whether it's a long drive or whether it's a short one, it always builds confidence, right? It makes you believe that the plays being called, the guys executing them, can actually make it happen at a high level. But again, all the teams here, these final teams are all excellent football teams, high-level personnel, high-level schemes. We feel like we're getting better. We feel that watching film last week, there's a lot of areas that we have to improve upon. We play against a team that's the best team that we have played against thus far this season. We're going to have to be better. We're going to have to be better to be able to get first downs, to make yards, to score points. This is, again, a tremendous challenge and we're excited for the opportunity.