Mario Cristobal admits Miami should have taken a knee, again takes blame

Nearly three days removed from Miami‘s loss to Georgia Tech, it’s still unbelievable. Taking a knee was the only thing needed for the Hurricanes to move to 5-0 on the season. Instead, a run play was called, leading to a fumble, and an eventual loss for Mario Cristobal.

From the beginning, Cristobal has taken the blame for the blunder. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke did as well but on multiple occasions, Cristobal stepped up in front of a microphone to take responsibility.

Another opportunity came on Tuesday afternoon, where Cristobal once again took the blame for Miami not taking a knee. In what was a game Cristobal was happy about overall, just one moment was the difference between winning and losing.

“It’s a tough loss to take,” Cristobal said during the Mario Cristobal Show. “We played really good defense throughout the course of the game. We weren’t ourselves offensively but gave ourselves a chance to win. At the end of the game, the right call is to go ahead and kneel down. Instead, I take ownership in not doing so. And the next play led to them getting a couple extra plays and preventing us from winning the game.”

Cristobal is correct about Miami playing great defense. Georgia Tech had just 250 total yards, with 74 of them coming on the game-winning touchdown drive. Had a knee been taken, the defensive performance would have been why the win occurred.

But at this point, there is nothing anyone in Coral Gables can do but move on. There are still six games remaining in the regular season and the program’s goals are still on the table. Reaching the ACC Championship and potentially being a College Football Playoff contender is still alive.

“We’ve all taken it like we do anything else, we all take it together,” Cristobal said. “Certainly, everybody came in with a great attitude, ready to go to work understanding that our best opportunities are right there in front of us. Our guys are coming with a great mindset ready to get after it.”

Miami will get after it this week in practice, preparing to face off against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Getting a statement win would immediately eliminate any lingering feelings from the Georgia Tech game. A big one ahead of Cristobal, as he looks to right the massive wrong that occurred on Saturday night.