Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal and player reaction post Louisville

Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal (see video above) and players (videos below) weigh in after the Canes’ game vs. Louisville.

Tune in for what they are saying:

Miami Hurricanes Football: HC Mario Cristobal Postgame Press Conference Transcripts

Opening statement…

“We gave ourselves a chance at the end. We found ourselves in a situation where we had a chance to take control of the game. It kept going back and forth. Good fight. Good effort. A lack of discipline at the end, that part is disappointing. We have to fix that. Aside from that, close isn’t good enough. Credit to their offense. They did some things that were very challenging. We gotta find a way to get better, get back to work for a quick turnaround and go play our best football on Friday next week.”

On fourth-year junior quarterback Tyler Van Dyke’s mentality…

“He was very determined. It carried over to this week. He was very urgent if you watch the way he was moving around in the pocket. His feet were quick. He’s healthy now, too, almost completely. He was very determined to play well, and he did that today.”

On Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer…

“He played well. They used the tight ends really well against us. Those guys had a lot of catches today. They found some things. Our defense played hard. At the end, we had a collision on one of those mesh deals where the guy breaks free. Credit to him. We picked him off one time, but he wasn’t affected by it. He kept playing hard, kept playing strong. He ran the ball well and made some critical throws.”

On the Louisville offense…

“If you have a good feel of the timing and spacing like them, it’s a really good zone. They had some really good compliments from it, so I think we need to teach it better and coach it better, so we cover better. We didn’t affect the quarterback very much today, which is different because we’ve affected the quarterback all year long, and they blocked us pretty well today.”

Louisville HC Jeff Brohm Postgame Press Conference Transcripts

On being in the ACC Championship…

“First, I’m really proud of our football team and coaches. I thought we had a really great showing with our fans being out here and support us in this game and I know we had a great showing back home watching. This was a big win. Coming down to Miami and win a game with a lot riding on it is a great feeling. We wanted to go into the ACC Championship game with a win and we wanted it decided that way. We worked hard this week to get it done. Our guys got refreshed over the break and they had a good week of practice which resulted in us making a lot of good plays to win. It wasn’t a perfect game, but to see our guys fight back and do a lot of different things to help us score, get points, and get momentum was great to see. A lot of guys stepped up and made plays, so it’s just a great feeling to come down and beat Miami. I’m really proud of our football team.”

On the tight ends’ performances…

“Those guys have worked really hard. This team is going to press us on the outside quite a bit and take away our outside receivers and make us through it over their heads, so when that’s happening, you have to work in the middle of the field a little bit and those guys have got to get open and be physical. I think Coach Wallace and our tight end room has worked hard. We wanted to utilize them more. To be a successful team, you have to be able to own the middle of the field more than we have and they have to be a great compliment for us. We’re going to continue to work through that and make sure all our guys are able to work the middle of the field and get us yards.”

On building team chemistry in his first year…

“I think that’s one of my biggest strengths. We want a team of guys who are just really good people, want to work hard and be the best they can be. We want to show them that we want to help them achieve their goals and spend as much time as they want to get that done. From me and my assistant coaches, it’s going to be invested and it’s going to mean something to us, so we want them to achieve their goals. Anyone that decides to come here will get a fair shot and go out there and showcase what they can do. We’re going to try to be creative at utilizing their talents, be as positive as we can to motivate them and get the most out of them. These guys have bought in, they’re great teammates. We haven’t had one issue this year, but that doesn’t mean everybody’s super happy. Some guys get to play a lot, and some don’t, but we’ll continue to do that. I think it’s important to always develop guys on your team, but also do whatever it takes to prove yourself each and every year.

On being the first coach to take two Power 5 schools to conference championships in back-to-back years…

“I didn’t know that, but that does mean a lot to be quite honest with you. Being at Purdue, we worked hard to win games. Getting to the Big 10 Championship was as good as any accomplishment I had there, and we had some big wins. So, we come here, year one, to find a way to get to this championship game means a whole lot. It just shows that if you’re willing to put in the work, surround yourself with good people, allow others to buy in and work together, take the blame when things aren’t going well, good things can normally happen. I think we have really good coaches that are good people, a really great support staff at the university, players that want to win and fortunately it has gelled together to get us to this point.”