Mario Cristobal spent his Notre Dame week talking about the stuff that actually decides games: protection, tackling, execution and discipline. The Miami coach had plenty of respect for the No. 4 Irish, but he kept steering the conversation back to the same point - the Hurricanes have to be cleaner if they want to handle a game of this size.
That starts with Notre Dame quarterback Carr, whom Cristobal saw up close in last season’s opener and came away convinced he was headed for something bigger.
“Well, right away you saw in that game that he was on his way to being an elite player, and by the second half he was doing elite things,” Cristobal said. “So he’s a guy that continues, has continued to develop as a passer, as a runner, a guy that has complete control of the offense.
Very accurate, gets him in the right plays. Understands where pressure is coming from.
“Understands where he’s protected, where he’s not protected. Gets him in the right run game stuff.
Extends plays, hurts you with his feet. I mean, he’s become the complete quarterback and arguably one of the best players in college football.”
Cristobal also made clear he isn’t interested in the noise that comes with a matchup like this, especially with the first College Football Playoff rankings in the background. Miami is projected to be No. 1, while Notre Dame could land anywhere from No. 2 to No. 10, but Cristobal said that kind of chatter doesn’t belong inside the program’s walls.
“I think we’re really focused on doing the things that help you actually win football games,” Cristobal said. “There’s no value in those words.
There’s no value in some things we talked about the other day in predictions, forecasts, narratives. There’s not one of those things.
Not one of the people talking about those things can block anybody, throw a ball, catch a ball, chase down and make a tackle.
“I mean, you have to be very grateful and humble to be entering the month of November, and have a chance to be playing really relevant football, and knowing that the teams that are going to continue to do well in November are teams that are really good at technique and fundamentals and playing with a lot of intensity, playing with a lot of energy, and this game is blocking and tackling, throwing, catching and running, executing right.
“So we’d rather pour the focus into that, right, and figuring that any ounce that goes into that other noise is an ounce that was important to the thing that mattered.”
He gave a similar answer when asked about pressure and expectations, saying the team’s internal standard is already high enough.
“I just again, those are, and I always answer respectfully because I do,” Cristobal said. “I have ultimate respect for everyone, but I just don’t think those words resonate with our players.
Narratives, pressure. I mean, the expectations within the walls here are greater than any outside noise or "pressure" can be.
“Our players recognize the incredible opportunity that we have in front of us and the incredible opponent that we are facing. So, all focus and all energy on preparing to the best of our abilities.”
There was also a personal note in Cristobal’s comments when he talked about Mark Fletcher Jr., who once was committed to Ohio State before choosing Miami and has since become the all-time touchdown leader in Hurricanes history. Fletcher’s decision to return for another year clearly meant a lot to the coach.
“Yeah, that announcement. Well, him telling us before it was announced, it was extremely powerful,” Cristobal said.
“That guy is as good of a leader and human being as you can imagine. I mean, born and raised to be a Hurricane.
You know, his father looks over us and watches every game from above. And I mean, you see it.
You’ve been around enough to see his impact within the walls, within the locker room, upstairs, across the entire community.
“I mean, Mark is, I mean, it means everything. And so, having a voice that strong, powerful, and mature in the locker room, backed up by play, right? Because at the end of the day, that’s the strongest words you can say right how you talk with your pads and your performances, all that stuff is invaluable.”
On the defensive side, Cristobal pointed directly to Miami’s 22 missed tackles against North Carolina and said that kind of slippage can’t show up again. He said the Hurricanes need better communication, better technique and better fundamentals, especially with this kind of opponent coming in.
“Yeah, certainly we have to continue to push and elevate our levels of communication technique and fundamentals,” Cristobal said. “Missed tackles certainly played a part, right? We were in positions where it could be maybe a two-yard gain end up being 14, 25, a little bit more.
“So I think it’s things that we have to coach better, things that we have to execute better. But certainly, I think what’s obvious, it’s not up to the standard of physicality and whatnot. But we have done it before, and always every ounce of effort is poured in a self-assessment, improving and getting better.”
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