Mario Cristobal says Jake Garcia 'played with some guts'

Following the injury that Miami starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered against Duke, Jake Garcia came in and replaced him. Garcia then made the start against Virginia. It was an ugly 14-12 win in four overtimes for Miami. Still, head coach Mario Cristobal felt that there were plenty of reasons to praise Garcia’s performance.

During his weekly press conference, Mario Cristobal was asked about what he saw on film from Jake Garcia in the Virginia game.

“Yeah, he played with a lot of guts, and he played hard, and his effort–his want to–was there,” Mario Cristobal said.

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“He had some good moments and some not-so-good moments. First real start as a quarterback here, and collectively as an offense we could have performed better, executed better, to make his job a little bit easier, also. So, we were out of sync in the passing game,” Mario Cristobal continued.

“The run game started to show some real positive signs against some loaded boxes. Henry [Parrish] ran really hard. The offensive line blocked well. Anez Cooper played a really good game as a true freshman. Thought the tight ends did a really good job blocking. But, there were opportunities to be had in the passing game. We missed our deep shots and we missed them early, and we had connected on those in recent games, so I think Jake will improve upon that tremendously. He’s a competitor. He works at it. So, right back at it.”

Mario Cristobal has been unwilling to give too much insight into Tyler Van Dyke’s injury. Prior to the Virginia game, Cristobal said, “I hate to comment on that and then all the sudden have to give you a different story in a couple days.” So, it seems like Miami is going to take things week by week, starting Garcia in the meantime.

Jake Garcia is a former four-star recruit in the Class of 2021. Against Virginia, he was 15 for 29 passing without any touchdowns or interceptions.

Mario Cristobal says the Virginia game could be a turning point

This season hasn’t gone the way it was supposed to for Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes. With losses to Middle Tennessee and a rebuilding Duke, the Hurricanes are only 4-4 with the 76th-ranked scoring offense in the country. That simply doesn’t match the hype that the Hurricanes had with one of the best returning ACC quarterbacks and a Broyles Award-winning offensive coordinator.

“There are several opportunities to attain a springboard and when you come out with a victory in a game like that, yeah absolutely,” Mario Cristobal said. “Especially when guys have to play that hadn’t played, especially when some of your better players didn’t play. I think it validates a lot regarding hard work and culture and stuff of that nature.”

Miami’s next game is against rival Florida State.