Miami HC Mario Cristobal Remains Confident in OC Josh Gattis

Mario Cristobal discusses Miami's offensive struggles after the Hurricanes' loss to Florida State.

Since the third quarter of their game against the Duke Blue Devils, the Miami Hurricanes have provided a dreadful offense.

The unit has failed to score a touchdown in its last nine quarters of action, but this has not wavered the confidence that head coach Mario Cristobal has in offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.

"We came in here with a plan. I think Coach Gattis runs a great offense," Cristobal said to reporters after Miami's 45-3 loss against Florida State. "It ran really well at Michigan and was very successful in the things he was involved with at Alabama."

Added Cristobal, "We’re not there yet, from a development standpoint. So we have to find ways to generate yards, first downs and points. We’re trying to uncover every stone to try to do that, and we haven’t. It starts with the run game.”

Miami rushed for 126 yards on 33 carries against the Seminoles on Saturday, and while this is less than its season average, there were a couple bright spots regarding that aspect of the Hurricanes' offense.

Running back Jaylan Knighton had his longest run of the season on a 45-yard carry in the second half, and true freshman quarterback Jacurri Brown rushed for a hard-fought 64 yards on 13 attempts.

Brown's emergence has been a positive for the Hurricanes this season. His role has continued to grow, and he played almost the entirety of the second half against Florida State in relief of starter Tyler Van Dyke, who left in the second quarter because of an injury.

"We felt like he could throw the ball well," Cristobal said about the decision to play Brown. "We felt a combination of him, making them respect the quarterback run and trying to get the running game going, would give us a chance to work our way into the game."

Cristobal did not announce who would be the starting quarterback in Miami's Week 11 matchup against Georgia Tech. 

Regardless of who starts, the offense needs to find a way to produce more points. The Hurricanes must win two of their last three regular season games to become eligible to play in a bowl game.

---

AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.