Mario Cristobal Explains What No. 2 Miami Can Learn from Bad Fourth Quarter
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No. 2 Miami (5-0, 1-0 ACC) was comfortably up 28-3 in the third quarter against Florida State (3-2, 0-2 ACC) to the point that they took their foot off the gas, and the Seminoles started to roar back.
During the last 15 minutes of regulation, the Hurricanes were outmatched in total yards, 188-17, giving up 19 points that nearly gave the Seminoles a lifeline to come back and make the impossible happen.
The Hurricanes ended up getting the job done, but that glimmer of hope should never have been available.
The fourth quarter highlighted one of the biggest fears that the Hurricanes fanbase has about this year's team and coaching staff: they don't know when to make their opponents look at the flowers and take them out of their misery.
The only downside to Miami, they need to find a way to just put people in the dirt.
— Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) October 5, 2025
Head coach Mario Cristobal knows that the team 'got away from playing complementary football' but also points to how it can just be simplified as a rivalry game.
"I think some times the simplicity of rivalry games runs its course," Cristobal said during an appearance on The Joe Rose Show on 560 WQAM on Monday morning. "You are never secure in it and never completely out of it. It goes back and forth.
"Play-calling wise, we played the stuff we felt great about in the game and other stuff that we thought could hurt them and some penalties and self-inflicted wounds hurt us and lack of execution hurt us. We got away from playing complementary football and they did a great job of sustaining drives with fourth down conversions."
Cristobal takes this as a learning opportunity for the Hurricanes. The goal is to 'slam the door' but still understand that even with a win, there can always be a lesson.
"When you are up 28-3 and you get the ball, you have a chance to really slam the door," Cristobal said. "We take it personally when we don't…We want to improve that part of it…The ability to learn while you still won is awesome. The ability to learn your lessons without feeling the consequences of a loss is awesome. There is zero complacency in the building."
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.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.