Mario Cristobal offers thoughts on Florida State rivalry, offensive playmakers

Cristobal is more than familiar with this matchup.

Florida State (5-3) is preparing for its final stretch of the regular season which starts with a road trip to South Florida in Week 10.

The Seminoles take on Miami (4-4) at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 for the 67th meeting of the rivalry, which the Hurricanes lead 35-31.

READ MORE: Florida State Seminoles release Depth Chart for rivalry matchup with Miami

Florida State won last year's matchup 31-28, which happened to be the last game in the series for former Miami head coach Manny Diaz.

In the offseason, the Hurricanes hired Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal, who described expectations around the FSU-Miami rivalry to reporters on Oct. 31.

"I know everyone goes up to the microphone and they say, 'Hey, we gotta block it out,'" Cristobal said. "You can't block it all out. You sign up to certain schools to play in certain games and this is certainly one of them."

Cristobal played for Miami from 1989-92 but also spent time as a graduate assistant (1998-2000) and assistant coach (2004-06). He's familiar with the 'Noles and recalled his rivalry experience.

"It was always a date that was circled on the calendar by everybody, state of Florida [and] nationally," Cristobal said. "It just so happened the national title either went, for many years, went through Tallahassee or Coral Gables. The intensity, the level of play, the caliber of play on the field was always the highest."

Cristobal acknowledged his feelings from previous times in the rivalry but emphasized he's focused on the present.

"But that's then, this is now," Cristobal said. "Obviously we're building. We're in a building stage so I don't get stuck in nostalgia theater with our players and make sure everything is focused on the 2022 team and doing everything we can to keep getting better and progressing."

Florida State is averaging 32.1 points per game and has produced multiple big plays on the ground and through the air this season. 

Since head coach Mike Norvell took over in 2020, Cristobal has noticed the strides the Seminoles made at all three levels offensively.

"[They're] very explosive," Cristobal said. "They've certainly done a really good job over the last three years accumulating talent, getting explosive players on the perimeter, also in their backfield. Their offensive line, they've certainly done a really good job of increasing the size of their offensive line, their athleticism [and] their power up front."

The last game between these two at Hard Rock Stadium occurred in 2020 during COVID-19 when the crowd was limited to 20% capacity. Cristobal believes the home-field atmosphere is beneficial for his players against Florida State.

"We got really good fans," Cristobal said. "Typically, this game brings out a lot of people, and I think it's an awesome experience for our players to get a good feel for what a Miami football game really looks like." 

For Cristobal's full press conference, click here.

READ MORE: Florida State leaves RB Cedric Baxter Jr. with a decision to make

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the season

Follow NoleGameday on Twitter and Facebook