Mario Cristobal addresses Miami's offensive struggles in loss to Texas A&M
Coming off his first loss as No. 25 Miami‘s head coach, Mario Cristobal met with reporters Monday to discuss what happened in a 17-9 defeat at No. 23 Texas A&M. Miami’s offensive struggles were a key focus, naturally.
The Hurricanes failed to score a touchdown against the Aggies, the first time this season they’ve been kept out of the end zone.
“Lack of execution and we have to continue to design things and coach things better,” Cristobal said by way of explanation. “I don’t think you point a finger at anybody. That’s not our program, that’s not what we do. You own it completely as an organization.”
It’s not as if Miami was unable to move the ball, either.
That happened pretty much at will much of the day against Texas A&M. The Hurricanes picked up 27 first downs but didn’t manage to score a touchdown.
Texas A&M tightened up in the red zone, though, limiting Miami to 3-of-4 on opportunities inside the 20, with all three conversions coming via field goal rather than touchdown.
That was the difference in the game.
Miami’s offensive struggles require group mentality to fix
Whether Miami’s ‘offensive struggles’ are a blip on the radar or a sign of more trouble to come remains to be seen. After all, the Hurricanes did outgain the Aggies in the game 392 yards to 264.
It wasn’t that quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and company couldn’t move the ball, they just struggled to execute as the space condensed in the final third of the field.
“Collectively we have to come up with a better way to score points,” Cristobal said. “Yeah, we hurt ourselves with penalties, there might have been a miscue here or there.”
It’s not like the Hurricanes are hurting for weapons.
Van Dyke has been one of the ACC’s best when he’s firing hot. He’s completed 63% of his passes this year and has thrown for 671 yards. Meanwhile, running back Henry Parrish is becoming a staple on offense, having rushed for 302 yards and four touchdowns on 53 carries (5.7 yards per pop).
Don’t expect any finger-pointing coming out of the ‘Canes camp after a tough loss. Just a chance to regroup and get to work fixing the issues.
“All in all we just have to take it entirely as an offense and get better,” Cristobal said.