Mario Cristobal was Pleased with How Miami Finished Stanford, Looks Forward to SMU
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No. 10 Miami showed a glimpse of the team that they had at the start of the season in the second half against Stanford.
The first half, however, showed what the team had been struggling with for six straight quarters. There was inconsistent play, and the team struggled to finish games.
This was the first time all season that the Hurricanes went and put a team in the ground and dominated until the end of the game. This is something that Mario Cristobal has been trying to preach to his team, and the message has gotten through.
"Just keep playing," Cristobal said During an appearance on The Joe Rose Show on WQAM. "It is a four-quarter game, and the issues that we had in the previous game showed up a little bit in the first quarter with a slow start.
"The first drive got down there, but then it was penalty, missed field goal, and zero points. Then it is like look man, I don't want to see any anxiety or anybody hanging their head. It is football and in football you keep working until you regain the momentum of the game and you fight to keep the momentum. I thought it was good resiliency to hammer away."
Exhibit A of why I’m not gonna ever worry about Miami being physical. Teams take on HC personality. pic.twitter.com/BEqlZKQLIV
— SD (@SD36036) October 12, 2025
The Hurricanes finally played to "the standard" that the team is capable of playing.
"The level of communication, physicality and level of play along with some plays on special teams allowed us to take momentum of that game," Cristobal said. "It was the simplicity of communication, getting lined up, and doing your job. It was the same plays that were executed at a high level. Some times it takes a series to get rolling. If you don't start fast, don't panic. Just keep playing your butt off and go to work."
Now the Hurricanes will travel out of state for the first time this season, heading to Dallas to face SMU. This is the first time the team will play against each other since the merger in the ACC.
"These are all business trips and it relates to your mindset and preparation and your ability to block out all distractions," Cristobal said. "Make sure you execute at the highest level. When you go on the road you pack your toughness, your physicality, your execution, your brotherhood and your resilience and you put it all on display when it is game time."
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.