How Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes Flipped the Script - and Why They’re a Real Threat to Indiana
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - It wasn’t that long ago that the Miami Hurricanes were the punchline of close-game collapses. But somewhere along the way - maybe it was that gritty win at Texas A&M - something shifted.
The narrative changed. And now, just days away from the College Football Playoff National Championship, No.
10 Miami isn’t just happy to be here. They believe they can win it all.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit saw it, too.
“Winning at Texas A&M,” Herbstreit said at CFP Championship Media Day, “as tight as that game was, making the plays at the end and getting out with a win - that created a lot of belief. Then to follow that up with a game against Ohio State as an underdog - nobody thought they could go in and do that.”
And yet, they did. And then they did it again.
Now the Hurricanes are riding a wave of momentum few saw coming, heading into Monday’s title game as 8.5-point underdogs against No. 1 Indiana.
It’s a familiar role for Miami - they won their first two national titles as underdogs in the Orange Bowl, knocking off top-ranked Nebraska in 1984 and Oklahoma in 1988. This time, they’re back in their own backyard, with Hard Rock Stadium as the stage and a championship on the line.
From “Cristobaling” to Clutch
Let’s rewind to October 2023. Miami had Georgia Tech beat - all they had to do was kneel out the clock.
Instead, a late fumble opened the door for a shocking 44-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left. That loss stung.
And it wasn’t an isolated incident.
In the last two seasons, Miami has dropped five games by a combined 17 points. There was the blown 21-point lead against Syracuse, the narrow loss to Louisville, and a close defeat at the hands of SMU. The term “Cristobaling” started to gain traction - a nod to the team’s knack for letting winnable games slip away.
But this year’s playoff run has flipped that script entirely.
Cristobal’s Hurricanes have been money in the fourth quarter - not just surviving, but thriving when the pressure cranks up. Three playoff games.
Three fourth-quarter touchdowns. Three wins, all as underdogs.
Clutch Gene Activated
It started with Texas A&M. Down 10-3 late, Carson Beck hit Malachi Toney for an 11-yard touchdown with under two minutes left. Bryce Fitzgerald iced it with a pick in the end zone.
Then came Ohio State. Up 17-14 with the ball and 5:50 to go, Miami didn’t just try to run out the clock - they went for the kill. Ten plays, 70 yards, and a five-yard touchdown run by Marty Brown with 55 seconds remaining.
And in the Fiesta Bowl against Ole Miss? Beck engineered a 15-play, 75-yard drive and capped it off himself with a game-winning TD run with 18 seconds left. That’s three straight games where Miami needed a score in crunch time - and got it.
Beck credits the preparation.
“A lot of that comes from our preparation,” he said. “Coach Cristobal puts us in those situations in practice - two-minute drill, red zone, backed up. All these situations we get in a football game, we practice them.”
That repetition has turned into confidence. And that confidence has turned into results.
What Miami Needs to Get Right Against Indiana
Of course, it’s not all about the fourth quarter. If Miami wants to knock off Indiana, they’ll need to be sharp from the opening snap.
Let’s start with discipline. Against Ole Miss, the Hurricanes were flagged 10 times for 74 yards.
They also dropped four would-be interceptions. Those are missed opportunities you simply can’t afford against a team like Indiana.
Indiana doesn’t beat themselves. They’ve turned the ball over just eight times all year and own the best turnover margin in the country at +21.
That’s elite. Miami has to match that level of precision - or at least avoid giving the Hoosiers free possessions.
Then there’s third down. Miami has been outstanding in the playoffs, converting 54.5% of their third downs while holding opponents to just 25%.
Indiana, though, has been even more efficient - converting 71.4% of their third downs in two playoff games. That’s a ridiculous number and a huge reason they’re undefeated.
If Miami wants to keep pace, they’ll need to win that down - on both sides of the ball.
The Blueprint: Run the Ball, Stop the Run, Finish Strong
So how does Miami pull this off?
It starts with physicality. Cristobal has built this team in the trenches, and if they can turn this into a run-the-ball, stop-the-run kind of game, they’ll have a shot.
That’s been the formula in the past - and it’s worked. The Hurricanes don’t need to win pretty.
They just need to win.
Cristobal knows it.
“We have a lot of things that we have to correct from the last game,” he said. “But we’ve had a great week of practice … we’re looking forward to this next opportunity.”
It’s a team that’s not just hoping to win - they believe they can. That belief is rooted in experience.
In resilience. In three straight playoff games where they were counted out, and came out on top.
The Moment is Here
Herbstreit summed it up well.
“They were begging to get in; just to punch their ticket to get into the playoff,” he said. “You go from that mindset, to now, ‘Told you!
Told you!’ That changes your perspective as a team.”
It’s not about proving people wrong anymore. It’s about proving themselves right.
And on Monday night, with the ghosts of the Orange Bowl watching and the home crowd behind them, Miami has a chance to complete one of the most unexpected - and impressive - turnarounds in recent college football memory.
They’ve already changed the narrative. Now they’re 60 minutes away from rewriting history.