No. 5 Miami's On Field Maturity Shines In First Two Wins
In this story:
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — On-field discipline was an issue last season. It was clear in the closing stretches of the season when some players cost the Miami Hurricanes some massive yardage and disrupted many electric drives.
This season, there has been a clear tone shift on the field for the better.
Notably, in the No. 6 Notre Dame, the Hurricanes had a few chances to put themselves in a bad position because of the lack of control other players might have had against the Canes. Mario Cristobal noticed it too, but loved how his team responded.
"You saw in game one how a receiver blocking his tail off gets his face mask yanked, pushed," Cristobal said.
"One guy gets punched, and he backed off, or another guy got there to grab you before, 'Hey, don't you.' Your best form of retaliation is to go have success on the next play. And as long as we can keep doing that, put selfish penalties aside, because look down now every, every single game we play is a playoff game, for everybody in college football."
Cristobal also knows that being a hot head won't get you anywhere, especially with NFL scouts always roaming the building.
"So if you are a hot head, if you are easily mentally manipulated, people are going to find you," Cristobal said. "I tell them all the time the NFL scouts come out here to practice all the time. They look for guys that understand composure, right, and playing football the way it's supposed to be played. So there's a lot to be learned from that example. You just don't ever want to feel the consequences of it. You'd like to be able to learn that by you to learn that by the misfortune of someone."
Cristobal has stressed that to another level this season. He knows how important this year is for the Hurricanes, and if they can stay focused, it will benefit the team in more ways than one.
"Every day. Every single day of our lives, man. Who knows the interaction, the verbal exchange in that moment, and what led to that, but I'm sure was enough to drive someone through the roof," Cristobal said.
"I don't judge it because I don't coach on any of the teams that were involved in that. But in terms of us, we've had our moments in the past that make you want to, you know, I'll stop there. And now I think we've seen probably a half a dozen examples where our guys have restrained themselves for the betterment of the team. "
Read More Miami Hurricanes Football News:
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.
Follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes-related: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and BlueSky.
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.
Follow Justice_News5