Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal and player reaction post Florida

Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal and players weigh in after the Canes’ game against Florida.

Tune in for what they are saying:

Opening statement…

“This game means a lot to us. It means a lot to our alumni, the fan base and certainty we always thought they were a very talented team. They have a lot of really good players and they were always a play or two away from being really, really good. Our guys kept their composure when we started getting in a rut a little bit there with the offense. The defense played off the charts football, again.”

On how he likes where the team is right now after holding Florida to their least amount of yards in 25 years…

“We don’t get to play these guys again. This game should be on the schedule every year, it’s a shame that it’s not. We want to make sure that we took advantage of the opportunity. I love the fact that we’re doing a much better job of blocking out all that noise and the rat poison people always talk about. We’re focused on doing our job and doing right and playing for each other and for the University of Miami. We’ve come miles, but we have miles and miles to go”

On the team getting in a rut the second and third quarter and managing that as coaches and players…

“That’s program led. We had a lot of pre-snap penalties, that’s the ultimate killer. You get off the schedule and all of a sudden, you got a good four-yard run that’s second and 11 instead of second and six. I think we had six of them, if I’m not mistaken, and that’s very uncharacteristic of us. We’ve done that now for a couple of weeks and we will fix that. Those guys have a lot of pride. Honestly, it’s everybody led.”

On having to deal with the criticisms and ups and downs of the quarterback position…

“That’s a great question. I’m happy you asked that question. I know DJ (Lagway) personally. This off season, when I was recovering from my injury and whatnot we were with the same PT people, so all of April and May, I saw him almost every single day. He’s a great kid and very, very talented. And a lot of the time it’s a tough road being a quarterback, especially for a big name school. He’s super talented. He’s very gifted, and what he’s able to do, and he’s a great kid, and he works his butt off. So, you know, it’s always hard, because I’ve been through it as well. You know, they love you, they hate you, and then they love you. You just can’t define your self worth off that.”

On limiting Florida’s offense

“Honestly, I didn’t even realize we held them to 0-for-13 on third down until after the game. That’s just playing football, communicating, fixing little things, and trusting each other. We had a hiccup or two, but after that drive, we came back, got our communication right, and shut them down.”

Marty Brown on becoming a threat in the passing game…

“Yeah, you know, you practice catching the ball a lot and you know, it shows up in the game. To be a back in the NFL you got to do both. So that’s really something I worked on in the off-season and it’s showing up.”

On the offense, finishing strong and turning things on when it mattered…

“Just keep making routine plays, our offensive line, give it to our running back, and just trust them. Resulted in a win.”

Postgame Press Conference Transcript: Florida Gators HC Billy Napier

Opening statement…

“Heck of a football game. Hats off to Miami. They have a really good football team. Obviously, not good enough on offense. We did not generate enough yards and points. The first half was a trial of errors and really struggled to stack any good plays together. Four three and outs, six punts in the first half. I do think the kids responded at halftime. The staff here did a great job, put together a good script. We found some running game there early in the second half, and able to kind of make it a football game there, 13-7 and get a takeaway, and in position there with a fourth down, got to have it. Came up a little bit short on the 30-yard line. Then, obviously at that point, the game kind of gets out of control and a couple of short fields late, but in general, our kids competed.”

On being 0-13 on third downs…

“Yeah, I think in particular in the first half, we had some bust in protection. I do think there’s opportunities there, when you look at it, the big picture wise, we got to make some plays. We’ve got to give Miami some credit, too. They pressured us, they affected the quarterback, and it wasn’t good enough. So, I think in the first half in particular was a game that was about third down. They stayed on the field. They got us.”

On having one single touchdown in three consecutive games…

“Yeah, I think that when we watch the tape, it’ll be a combination of a lot of things. I think there’s every position that is contributing to our issues. Obviously, we talked about DJ (Lagway) and what he’s been through this offseason. Do think that there’s some rhythm missing there, and that is going to be what we go back to the drawing board.”

On being confident to turn the season around after the bye week…

“We’ve got to, we’ve got to generate some points. We’ve got to get more first downs. We got to find some rhythm on offense. Bottom line, I think we’ve got a good group in the kicking game and on defense, and guys continue to show up and play. We are lacking consistency, we are lacking detail and struggling to stack plays. I have confidence in the young men in that locker room.”