Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal and player reaction post USF

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

Tune in for what they are saying:

Opening statement …

“Really just fired up, impressed with our players, our team, our entire organization, in handled the week in preparation for a team that had been playing really, really good football and handling what they do best, which is tempo. First goes out to our scout team. They simulated them as well as you possibly can all week long, and because that is a challenge, but the physicality, the level of energy that we played with tonight, although a couple of critical mistakes, was progress for our football team.”

On handling a tough USF team…

“I like to give them credit, because they are good, they’ve had a lot of speed, they’ve got a lot of athletic guys that make a lot of plays. That scheme is hard to deal with. I think our guys did not want to be a part of the narrative, you know, somebody else’s success, steppingstone kind of season. That’s been the story all week. There was a lot of motivation going into this thing, besides the fact that they were a ranked football team, because I have a lot of respect for their coaches and their players, but it’s an insane game, and those things you have to play at your very best. You are never all the way out of these games. Our guys really took it personal to not let anything get in the way of doing their job. Intensity, physicality, urgency, and discipline all came together very nicely for us.”

On Mark Fletcher’s performance…

“Well, it is a loaded box. I mean, it’s plus one, and then some, you know, they’re in, I would not say they’re in zero, but they’re as close to being in zero as possible. You are almost outnumbered by two, so there are going to be some bloody, bloody runs in there, and he finds a way to make space and make holes and contact plus two, and that’s when he is really dynamic. He starts making people pay. His jump cut is outstanding. His ability to accelerate, make people miss, and run people, run two people, is awesome. He’s got great eyes, and he gets better as the game goes on.”

On the defense, bending a few times, but sticking through with it

“I thought the defense was awesome. I know they got down there. They kicked a couple of field goals, but they had four three-and-outs, an interception, a fumble, and we sputtered on offense. You know, we really could have widened the gap a little bit, but we didn’t. We’ve got to get better at that. Certainly, a lot of things to work on when we watch the film, but the defense, just the amount of pressure they put on their quarterback, the job they did on first and second down to put us in favorable third down situations. A lot of us play to our strengths, right? You know, our speed and our power, and allowed us to get the ball back.”

Carson Beck, QB, Redshirt Senior

On preparation for next week vs. Florida…

“I think we prepare the same way that we prepare every single week. Right? So tomorrow we’ll go in there, go watch the film of, you know, this game tonight. We’ll fix our mistakes, and then I’ll go watch two of their games that they have played this year. And then Mondays, do what I do Tuesday, I’ll do what I do and Wednesday, I’ll do what I do, I’m not going to give my secret sauce, you know, so, you know, we’ll create our plan, and then Saturday we’ll go out and execute. So, obviously we want to celebrate tonight. You know, just trying to go 1-0 every single week.”

On contributing as both a receiver and returner…

“The season’s been great. I can’t complain. Like I said, our room is loaded. We all wait our turn, and everybody makes plays. Even if nobody has a massive stat line, everyone contributes and that’s what makes us dangerous.”

On quarterback Carson Beck’s preparation and leadership…

“It was shocking at first how much Carson does for us. He gets us together on Mondays and throughout the week, brings the receivers in, shows us what he’s seeing, and tells us what he’s thinking. He’s just a very smart football player.”

On playing for his ‘why’…

“With everything that’s happened over the last year, my ‘why’ has changed. Before, I just loved playing football, but now my why is my dad and my family. That’s what pushes me.”

On physicality in his game

“Every time I get the ball, I take pride in being physical. That’s something I hang my hat on. Our defense gets us better every day, and I think that’s carried over into the way I run.”

Mohamed Toure, Linebacker, Graduate Student

On staying motivated regardless of opponent…

“We’re motivated to go no matter who we’re playing. We practice the same way every week – film study, preparation, everything. Nothing changes. We’re internally driven and focused on staying humble and improving each game.”

On areas of improvement…

“My goal is to never be satisfied, and that’s the same for everyone on this team. Even if the outside world thinks we played great, we know there’s always something to fix. For me, I’ve got to keep contained on plays like third-and-long. That’s on me. We’re always looking to communicate better and clean up the little things that change ball games.”

Akheem Mesidor, DL, Redshirt Senior

On handling week-to-week preparation…

“We’re not really focused on anyone else, we’re just focused on us. Being the best version of us every week. We gave up 12 points. If you want to be the best defense in the country, that’s not cool. We have things we need to clean up and tidy up on.”

On the efforts of Booker Pickett Jr. and Bryce Fitzgerald…

“I love seeing guys do good. We all support each other. I talk to these guys all the time, and cheer each other on.”

Postgame Press Conference Transcript: USF Head Coach Alex Golesh

Opening statement…

“Start off with the flow of that game. I thought the first half, really that first quarter, we came out and I thought we didn’t look like us. I don’t think we ran like we have been. We certainly didn’t execute like we’ve been.”

On using this as a learning experience instead of being a step back…

“I think the biggest part of when you fail is the growth opportunity with it. My hope is that at whatever point we’re ready as a program, that is the expectation, that we’re going to go win that game. I said it two years ago. I said it last year. I’m saying it again, at whatever point we’re ready as a program to go win that game we will.

On what he wants to see out of his team and leaders immediately…

“What I want to see out of them since we got going since January, I hold the entire program accountable for elite process daily. I hold the entire team accountable for how we work daily, how we grow as a program in terms of leadership, accountability, connection and then demand that we play with precision, speed, focus and violence like you’re supposed to.”