Everything Mario Cristobal Said Ahead of Pop Tarts Bowl Game
The Miami Hurricanes are back in action this weekend as Mario Cristobal prepares a huge chunk of the 2024 roster to play against the Iowa State Cyclones in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl.
The Hurricanes were left out of the College Football Playoff, but that does not mean that the No. 1 offense in the country won't try to give the best performance of the weekend, with the potential No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft suiting up one more time.
Mario Cristobal talked to media a day ahead of the huge game and had a lot to say.
Opening Statement...
"Good morning, everybody. Again, thank you for having us here and having such a warm welcome to Orlando, but I really want to thank Florida Citrus Sports for again putting on a first-class event and taking us in, and the Pop-Tarts Bowl committee staff, everyone. From the moment we arrived, the entire process, our players have enjoyed it. Even though we are
not here for a real long time, certainly the resources, the treatment, the accommodations have been excellent. And again, as mentioned last night, we have the great honor of playing a great football team with a rich tradition, great tradition like Iowa State led by Coach Campbell – a ton of respect for him and the job that he's done with his program. And certainly, I'm proud of our players, the University of Miami and always proud about being a Miami Hurricane, and looking forward to a great opportunity and a great game tomorrow."
On Cam Ward playing in the game...
"Well, I think modern day conventional wisdom sometimes clashes with principles and values of what is right. Nowadays in college football, we are compensated at all levels, right -- coaches, players, administrators -- and to do a job, you must finish the job. I think Cam's DNA, his upbringing, everything that he is made of and stands for is the right kind of stuff; the stuff you want your team made of. He's had a tremendous impact on our community, our team, our program, alumni. And so he understands the importance of finishing, and he
understands the caliber of opponent that we are playing and the importance of playing at a really high level to give ourselves the best opportunity in this game. Certainly a credit to him and the rest of those seniors."
On having few opt-outs and importance of game...
"So, as much as talent acquisition is really important to building a program and sustaining a program, so is having some really highly, I would say, effective productive and committed culture, right? Making sure that our task is not only to develop great football players and win games but also to develop young men and do what is right and doing things the right way. Can you imagine ever telling your own son you can start this but not finish that? I don't think anyone in this room would approve that have type of directive. I think what you're seeing is we have the opportunity to play against a great football team that has great culture. That's why is it's become very important for our players to have not only great practices but to exhibit great culture because this is going to be a great football game."
On Iowa State...
"I think it's a team that first benefits from tremendous coaching. And you see it layered the right way. You see strong senior classes, junior classes, sophomore classes due to retainment and development. That means the belief in the program is strong. So systems have been in place for a while; so guys know what they are doing, how they are doing it and why they
are doing it that way. Not only do they have great individual athletes, they play great as a team. They know where their help is. They know where each other is supposed to be and they are there, and on top of that, they are very, very physical and they play extremely hard. So you could tell that certainly it means a ton to them."
On potentially facing Iowa State in a non-conference series...
"No doubt. It would obviously be great to look at those particular options. Except for late November up there, aside from that, I think it would be a great idea."
On if season is a success of failure for not reaching playoffs...
"I don't think anything outside of the walls of the program and the people that put in the daily work is -- you mentioned the word "disappointment." For us, if you don't win every single football game, win every single rep, there's disappointment in the right kind of way where you build positive anger and you want a better result through process. But in terms of players' efforts and accomplishments in process, there is no disappointment. For us, as hard as we've worked, and mind you, no one wants to win more than the players and the coaches in our respective programs, and no one puts in the amount of time away from family and obligations outside of football. No one puts in more time than what we do. So I think a question like that, it's almost a little foreign, like almost undigestible. Because those trains of thought don't creep into our processes, our way of thinking. All we think about is finding way to get better, doing right by our people, helping those grown men grow and develop and win football games, and continue to make progress in our organization."
On Jim Larranaga and his legacy...
"Man that was a hard one, really was. Love and respect him. I mean, he is iconic. He is legendary. Certainly just put that program on his back and went to work. He will be missed tremendously. I'm going to raid his roster for tight ends and defensive ends. I think he's an exceptional human being. I look forward to getting with him and picking his brain on leadership and on team building and culture and getting him over and having him in front of the guys. I know he always want to be involved in the University of Miami. But you couldn't ask for a better human being and for a leader for our program and young men than Coach L. Coach L., love to you, man. Certainly, hey, I look forward to seeing you here down the line but really appreciate everything you've done for community, for program, for the University of Miami."
On big names in college sports moving on with changes in landscape...
"I'm sure we've come across a few things that are not likable, borderline detestable. But we love football more than we love the issues that have arisen due to just changes in the game. One thing that has stood the test of time, you either adapt or you die, right. So we are in adapt mode, and this period of time, no one knows how long it's going to last, when there's going to be some type of order associated with it. Until then, and hopefully this, too, shall pass in just the uncertainty of how to navigate. Because there is no handbook. We were probably all groomed by coaches and we worked under people that gave us blueprints that we use, and now that blueprint is out the door and you have to create a new one that is changing every other week. Honestly I think you're looking at programs that, you know, don't flinch. We just go. I didn't answer your question. I went all over the place with this. But I think you know what I'm saying. You go, man. You adapt and you keep going forward. And you know what's undefeated? Working your butt off and doing right by people. And if you stay along those lines and you're willing to understand that you'd better have tough staff members because the hours of longer and the days are longer and the off-seasons are shorter, then you know what you're going to find a way. And hard work and good people have been undefeated over the course of time."
On economic impact the game means to Orlando...
"Not only on top of that, the present impact, but future impact, how many families are here and intend to come back because they have had such a great experience. From an economy standpoint, that's always a bonus and a tremendous plus. I want to reflect on the fact that the impact that the community has had on us. I mean, you have two teams that are going to be competing at the highest level tomorrow on the same field and yesterday we're in the same theme park and contributing back and giving back to the community, spending our time with a lot of kids, some under privilege, some fans. That's super impactful. It's all tied in together, right. I mean, impact, growth and development reaches the economy but also reaches the
individual. It's transformational. I think that combination, you know, I think it's been impactful for both the community and for our program."
On players who have impressed in bowl practices...
"I think that's what you always see during this time, the extra practices, when school is out, right, because a lot of these freshmen, school and college football, that's a lot so there's a little bit of paralysis by analysis. Just a lot of going on in that head and a lot to juggle for the first time in their lives. And I think what you see now you is see guys that certainly they have earned the opportunity to play more. They have earned the trust of their teammates and their coaches. To get into specifics would be difficult. But I think it will be reflected in some of the position groups tomorrow that we watch.
On reflecting with individual successes such as Cam Ward and Xavier Restrepo..
"I think reflection will take place after the game. Somebody asked earlier, how do you balance getting forward are a game, transfer portal and recruiting and what's the balance; there is no balance. You've just kind of got to go and whenever you pass out, you pass out, and you do it again a couple hours later. In terms of -- the most important thing I think is to really
emphasize how appreciative we are for the effort, the commitment of players that have been through a lot. You know, a couple of coaching changes. Certainly some ups and downs, injuries. Guys that stuck together and put together a really strong team that has accomplished so much and has set a standard and has elevated our program to where now, you know what, Miami is a real thing again. There's national prominence associated with Miami. Now they get to take part in a game against a nationally prominent program like Iowa State. Those things, you can't put a price tag on that. Those are monumental steps and a accomplishments for those guys. So I am forever grateful. Some of those guys will be missed sorely.
But like I told them, we already had Senior Day and the boo-hoo'ing and all that stuff. Days like today are super important, as we get refocused once this press conference is over, to make sure we are doing all the right things to make sure we give ourselves the best chance for success when all is said and done."
