Mario Cristobal addresses changes in playing on the road following home stretch

Miami defended its home turf. Now, the Hurricanes must devastate foreign territory. Head coach Mario Cristobal believes his team is ready for the challenge.

“It shouldn’t present any changes in terms of the process,” Cristobal said after Miami’s 48-7 blowout win against Bethune Cookman on Thursday. “We did talk about it and we closed out the month of September 3-0 here at home, which was really important to us.”

Miami has looked impressive in its first three contests, taking down No. 23 Texas A&M in Week 2. The win was Cristobal’s first against a ranked opponent as the Hurricanes’ head coach. In his first year at the helm, Cristobal led Miami to a poor 5-7 record.

Obviously, things are trending upward in Miami.

“That was a big offseason point. We were going to make Hard Rock [Stadium] our place. We were going to make it a tough place for people to come in and play. We’re off to a good start there,” Cristobal said. “Now, taking this thing on the road, our processes really don’t change, albeit the two-and-a-half-hour plane ride. That’s it.”

The Hurricanes hit the road

The Hurricanes will travel north for their first away game this season, taking on Temple in Week 4. While some fans are concerned the change of venue will negatively affect the team’s play, history shows otherwise.

All three of Miami’s conference wins last season came on the road. Cristobal claims his players are ready to pick up where they left off last year.

“Our guys are going to be really excited to get on the road,” Cristobal said. “Play a really good team, have a couple of extra days, we’re already all over them. We’ve broken down all of our opponents in the offseason. But it gives us a chance now to see where we’re at, playing on the road.”

Since Miami played on Thursday this week, it will have a couple extra days to prepare for Temple. Hopefully for Hurricanes fans, Miami won’t need the extra preparation period. Temple is 1-1, marked by a glaring 36-7 loss to Rutgers in Week 2.

As of Thursday, Cristobal is happy with his team’s progression.

“I like the way we’re evolving. You know, our offense has played a little bit different each week,” Cristobal said. “Defensively, a lot of guys got better. I thought our back end is playing really, really well. They’re playing at a high level.”