Full Transcript: Mario Cristobal's Press Conference After Louisville
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Going back through Mario Cristobal's press conference, it's easy to see the frustration. It was another hard-fought effort by the Miami Hurricanes, but still a 38-31 loss to the Louisville Cardinals.
Here's what Cristobal said after the game.
Cristobal's opening statement:
"Obviously a tough loss. We gave ourselves a chance at the end. We found ourselves in a situation with a chance to take control of the game and it kept going back and forth. It was a good fight and a good effort. Some lack of discipline at the end is disappointing. We cannot and will not revert to that. 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, but we have to find a way to get better and get back to work for a quick turnaround and go play our best football on Friday of next week.”
First, Cristobal provides insights about quarterback Tyler Van Dyke:
“He was. He was all week, very determined. It carried over to this past week. He was very urgent. If you watched him with the way he moved around in the pocket, his feet were quick, and he was healthy too—almost completely. He was very determined to play well for his teammates and he did that today.”
Going against Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer:
“He played well. They used the tight end really well against us. They had a lot of catches today. They found some things. Our defense played hard. We had a collision on a mesh deal in which a guy broke free. Credit to (Jack) Plummer. We picked him off one time, but he wasn’t affected by it. He kept playing hard and he kept playing strong. He protected the ball well and made some critical throws.”
Defending Louisville's offense and play calling:
“If you run that concept well enough, it is designed (to win against) man coverage, but if you have a good feel for the timing and spacing, it is really good against zone as well and they had some really good complements off of it. Sometimes we just have to teach it better, coach it better, so we can cover it better.
“We didn’t affect the quarterback much today, which is different because we have affected the quarterback all year long. They blocked us pretty well today.”
Fourth down timeout decision:
“They were lined up in what we needed to see and we wanted to get the best play. At that point, the play clock was irrelevant and it was a play to check them. We wanted to make the value of the play better and it was better to put us in a position to tie rather than saving it and trying to get a stop-and-go. Trying to give the offensive coordinator the best call for the situation against the defense.”
Regarding Mark Fletcher's excellent performance:
“He continues to excel and he continues to elevate his play. He is an excellent freshman player, leader, and tough guy. He is accountable and he wants to win in the worst way. He could care less about his own performance and he wants to see his teammates win. He is going to be a great one and we have to keep bringing in guys like Mark Fletcher.”
Miami's lack of discipline and penalties:
“I jump all over that. That is crap. It is complete and utter unacceptable immaturity from a couple of guys that have played really, really well. You use it as a teaching moment, but you have to go right at them and you have to go right at them hard. It is a bunch of bull crap. That ain’t it. You might get upset. Maybe you get held or tugged. It doesn’t matter. They have flags and they are going to throw them. We can’t revert to that. We have to fix it and we are going to fix it.”
Not allowing the team to be down about the loss:
“It's football. If guys have a hard time keeping their spirits and if coaches have a hard time keeping their spirits and going and competing, then they are in the wrong profession and they are in the wrong place. We have made so much progress. We are dragging these games into the fourth quarter and we are in a position to take over and win them.
Now we have to have that breakthrough on a consistent basis. Sometimes progress comes in spurts. I want it all right now, but we have got to coach, teach, and work our way to making these one-play games victories. You don’t stop and you don’t seek shelter or look for comfort from somebody telling you how well you played. That is not it. That is not our DNA. Let’s get back to work. Get better and find a way to come out on the winning side."
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