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Mario Cristobal admits he accepted blame for loss in front of team

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•10/09/23•

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Mario Cristobal Bethune use
Sep 14, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal looks on from the field against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

There are not too many ways to beat around the bush when it comes to Miami‘s loss to Georgia Tech. For absolutely no reason, Mario Cristobal saw his team lose the game. Taking a knee would have kept the Hurricanes undefeated heading into the North Carolina matchup. Instead, a run play was called, a fumble occurred, and the Yellow Jackets miraculously wound up winners.

During his postgame press conference, Cristobal admitted Miami should have taken a knee. He went one step further on Monday, saying he took accountability for the loss in front of the team. If Cristobal is going to ask the players to do so when they mess up, he wants to do the same for them.

“We always talk openly and honestly and it’s no different,” Cristobal said. “The only way we do things here is that way. I think our team understands that, appreciates that. I think our team is a team that takes accountability as a whole and all think we can do better. We ask our players — we ask our coaches to do the same and that’s what I did.”

Not taking a knee at the end of games has long been Cristobal’s philosophy, for some reason. Even in games where Miami was blowing an opponent out this season — and there was really no harm, no matter what play was called — a handoff was called. Tyler Van Dyke never took a snap, moved back, and fell to a knee in victory formation.

To make things even more confusing, this scenario has played out for Cristobal before. Back when he was the head coach at Oregon in 2018, a fumble while running the ball allowed Stanford to get back into the game and eventually win in overtime. Apparently, Cristobal did not learn his lesson and kept the same philosophy over the past five years.

Miami fans hope Saturday’s fiasco will mean change is coming. If they are in a position to close out the upcoming game against North Carolina, a critical one in the race to Charlotte for the ACC Championship, all eyes will be on the Hurricanes’ sideline for the play call.

But for the Georgia Tech game, Mario Cristobal took responsibility. Not just in front of the media but when speaking to his players in the locker room. A good move from the head coach for what had to be a deflated feeling for the players.