Everything Miami Head Coach Mario Cristobal Said After National Championship Loss to Indiana

The Hurricanes head coach spoke to the media after the team's defeat at Hard Rock Stadium.

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes fell to the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers 27-21 in the national championship on Monday night. 

After the game, Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal spoke to the media about the loss and his team’s performance. 

Below is a transcript of everything Cristobal said.

CRISTOBAL: First and foremost, thanking God for the opportunity to be here today and really I would like to recognize these three young men and their teammates. They're the best thing that's happened to Miami and the University of Miami in over two decades. And it's not the result we wanted. Credit to Indiana. They're a great football team. But to these guys right here, I couldn't be more proud to be associated with them. I love them. They're absolutely incredible human beings, competitors, resilient, and I want to thank them and the rest of their teammates and it's a tough one. Tough one to have to eat, but we will. And that's it. 

Q: Unfortunate ending for Carson today with that interception, but can you describe what you saw out of him today and just overall this season as a prospect and a player?

CRISTOBAL: Same we see from all our guys. A lot of resiliency, just a continued, really tremendous work ethic. Earned the respect of his teammates. Teammates working hard with him. I mean, we win together, we lose together. Proud of him. Like to have that last one back. But again a lot of the plays made throughout the course of year, from the guys up here on stage to the guys in that locker room, got us here to this moment and gave us an opportunity all the way to the end. So proud of him.

Q: Can you just reflect on the journey that these three guys especially, but everyone that's been with you since you got here that you've been on to get from where you came in to now. To this moment. 

CRISTOBAL: They had the guts, the faith, and the trust to look at a place that was a complete mess and say, "I'm going to be the person. I'm going to be a man of action. And I'm going to make things real and I'm going to make the University of Miami a prominent program once again. And we're going to win. And we're going to win big. And we're going to change the culture.” And that's not easy. A lot of people look at that [and] they shy away from it. These guys are legitimate like big-time, big-time human beings. Going to be awesome fathers and husbands and leaders of the community way beyond football. And I think everybody associated with the University of Miami and really even if you're a college football fan, you got to be fans of these guys because these guys, they represent the way it's supposed to be done.

Q: As a follow-up to what you were asked about, Carson, it looked like there was some miscommunication on that last throw. Can you just kind of take us through what happened there?

CRISTOBAL: It's a right place to go with the ball. Just got to be a little bit further and a little bit farther outside. So, we didn't connect on it and turnover.

Q: Just a couple of days ago you talked about the need to be a fighter, to jump into the fight, and taking those steps to build that program. And in the past perhaps sometimes those steps, maybe as painful as they are, have not been taken appropriately. Is this a painful step in that process and is just one more step that you have to take and get through in order to get one more win in the next season?

CRISTOBAL: I think any loss of course is always going to be painful, but I'd like to reflect upon the fact that these guys won 13 games this year and won a postseason playoff game. Got to the playoffs for the first time in Miami history and then beat four Top 10 teams, beat seven Top 25 teams, won the Fiesta Bowl, won the Cotton Bowl, and you know what? I'll take full blame for it. We're one drive short of winning the national championship. So, I don't see anything negative, but I do see pain in moments like this, and we should if we're a competitor that's worth anything. You feel it and you use it, and you give those feelings a direction. And I know the guys coming back will. And I know that the guys moving on will also use that as fuel.

Q: You talk about the guys who are coming back. Mark finds the end zone twice tonight. Mally [Malachi Toney] gets in there once. I know there's time to get ready for next season, but just how good do you feel about the leadership going forward knowing that you've got those two guys among the kids coming back?

CRISTOBAL: I think it can't be understated what these guys have done. I can't understate that. The ability to take a team on November 1st that was lower than low and to find a way that every single day hold people accountable, demand the best of and bring energy and enthusiasm to practice and get the results on a weekly basis, a 1-0 for I think seven weeks straight. It is a testament to what they are. It's a testament to their choice and their determination and being true men of action. And again, they're the best thing that's happened to Miami, the University of Miami, in our community in 25 years.

Q: Now that you've gone against them, been on the field with them, can you just help us get a little insight into what makes Indiana's defense as effective as they've been all year and were tonight?

CRISTOBAL: Good players, good scheme. They're mature, they're older, they spend a lot of time around each other, so they understand how to leverage the ball, communicate really well, and they certainly had a really good first half against us. A lot of credit to them. Felt in the second half, we're really starting to generate a lot of yards and points and whatnot. And felt at the end there we were also generating some good chunk plays. And then credit to them, they came up with a big play right there when it counted at the end. But they're a very well coached operation, very high end players. I know that sometimes we lose sight of the fact that guys develop. They've been developed well, both at James Madison and here and again, credit to them. They won the game.

Q: Mario, you mentioned players using what happened tonight as fuel. Knowing how much you have put in, how much will you use this as fuel as you move forward to try and get a championship for Miami? 

CRISTOBAL: Well, I mean it's not about me. Doesn't matter the day or the time, I'm always going to be really, really motivated because this is not for me. This is for the University of Miami. So our driving determination has always been off the charts, and it's fueled by them. Like I want to do well by them. And the fact that they leave here without the national title in hand like that, it's really hard to deal with that. And again, if you're worth a damn as a competitor you take all that stuff and you give it a direction. And the direction is to always let these guys know wherever they are in life, always got their back, always a phone call away, no matter what, like my coaches have always been for me. And the ones that follow them, they will understand what the standard is and they'll be held to it. They'll be held to that standard by these guys, wherever they are, and holding them [accountable]. But they also learned it now and now it's got to be put into action. You don't just automatically return to a game like this just because you're mad. I think that's the biggest misconception in sports. “Oh well, they almost got there. They'll be back next year.” That's a bunch of bull. You got to apply all the lessons learned, you've got to improve from a roster standpoint, a regiment standpoint, discipline, everything, and move forward. And these guys have set the standard to help us get there.