Mario Cristobal on Iowa State football: ‘Well coached, very talented, very hard-nosed’

Iowa State takes on Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl later this month

Mario Cristobal had nothing but positives to say about Iowa State and head coach Matt Campbell ahead of their meeting in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Mario Cristobal has been around the world of college football since 1998 in a number of roles with a number of different programs.

Now in his third season leading the Miami Hurricanes, Cristobal will match up against the Iowa State Cyclones and Matt Campbell in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 28 from Orlando.

Cristobal, who played for the Hurricanes, started out his coaching career with the program. From there, he had a stint at Rutgers, returned to Miami for three years, took over the Florida International program in 2007 and spent three seasons with Nick Saban in Alabama.

He was the co-offensive coordinator at Oregon in 2017 before being named head coach of the Ducks where he led the team to two Pac-12 titles. As a player, Cristobal won a pair of national championships. 

Miami was on the cusp of securing a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff before a stunning loss to Syracuse knocked them out. The ACC has two teams in the CFP, as both SMU and Clemson play opening round games. 

But for the Hurricanes, the focus is on the Cyclones and securing just the second season with 11-or-more wins for Cristobal in his coaching career.

“Excellent football team,” he said of Iowa State. “I have a lot of respect for Coach Campbell. Very disciplined, very hard-nosed, very tough and very physical.

Excellent football team. Very disciplined, very hard-nosed, very tough and very physical.

- Mario Cristobal, on Iowa State

“They are the least penalized team in the country and bring it. They play with a lot of energy, a lot of effort. They get a lot of hats to the football and are just a very well-coached, very talented football team.”

Miami (10-2) has gone 22-15 under Cristobal, including a 7-6 mark last year with a loss in the Pinstripe Bowl. Cristobal is just 3-4 in bowl games, as he did not coach Oregon in the 2021 Alamo Bowl after taking his current job.

The Hurricanes did receive some good news this month. Heisman finalist Cam Ward will play in the bowl matchup vs. the Cyclones instead of preparing for the NFL Draft.

Ward, who transferred from Washington State after starting his career with Incarnate Word of the FCS level, threw for 4,123 yards and 36 touchdowns. He has almost 18,000 yards in his career with 155 touchdowns in the air and 20 more on the ground.

Iowa State vs. Miami TV Channel, Live Stream, Odds

Who: Iowa State vs. Miami in Pop-Tarts Bowl

When: 2:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, December 28

Where: Camping World Stadium | Orlando, Florida

Live Stream: Stream Iowa State-Miami live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TV Channel: ABC

Betting Odds: Miami is favored by 3.5 points. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportbook

Our Prediction: Miami 33, Iowa State 24

Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Iowa State on SI for live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup.