Cristobal Says Competing Won't Be Enough for Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes suffered a tough blow to their season's hopes on Saturday when they fell to No. 24 Texas A&M 17-9, in their first road game of 2022. It's a loss that stings a little more knowing that they could have, and probably should have, won this game. The Canes were competitive and physical, but they were crushed beneath a mountain of their own mental mistakes.
Head coach Mario Cristobal said after the game that his team showed up to play, but needs to execute better.
"[We] played hard, played physical, played tough. Mistakes, miscues," said Cristobal summarizing the game. "But certainly gave ourselves a chance to tie the game there in the end, but not good enough. We've got to get better."
The loss aside, Miami actually looked pretty solid, especially on defense. They weren't outmatched or outwitted by Texas A&M, they simply just didn't make plays when they needed to. Whether it was a muffed punt, a dropped pass, or a costly penalty, they all seemed to happen at the worst moment in the worst spot on the field.
All of that comes down to discipline and execution, according to Cristobal.
"We can compete in a difficult environment, but competing in itself is just not enough. You've got to prevent shooting yourself in the foot."
The touchdown-less loss will be a hard pill for Canes fans to swallow, but the season's not over. This was a non-conference road loss to a ranked team, it's entirely possible that Miami doesn't even fall out of the top 25.
What's more is that without those pesky missteps, the Hurricanes outplayed the Aggies in a lot of facets. They outgained A&M by over 100 yards offensively (UM at 392 to A&M at 264), had eleven more first downs (Canes produced 27 while Aggies had 16), and held possession for nearly ten minutes longer than the Aggies.
Their lone turnover was the Tyrique Stevenson muffed punt, which was admittedly a gut punch. Maybe more importantly, where the Canes really faltered was in the red zone.
Miami was inside the A&M 20-yard line four times, and came up with just nine points on three field goals. That's not exactly what you expect from a Heisman candidate quarterback in Tyler Van Dyke and a veteran offensive line.
It's a team game though. Drops and penalties did as much as Aggie defenders in keeping the Canes out of the end zone.
"We've got to look in the mirror and face reality. We gave up some opportunities that you just can't give," said Cristobal. "Becoming a good team is not just gonna happen. We've got to keep working...Could have coached better tonight, could have played better tonight, could have executed better tonight."
The Hurricanes have a favorable schedule over the next couple weeks to clean up their mess. Next week, Miami hosts Middle Tennessee State and then has a bye in Week 5 before hosting the North Carolina Tarheels on Oct. 8. That Week 6 ACC battle will be the next big chance for Cristobal and the Canes to get back on track.
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