Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was full of praise for the Florida Gators football program ahead of their matchup this weekend. The 4th-ranked Hurricanes host UF in the annual in-state rivalry game this Saturday, Sep. 20, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Cristobal stopped short of singling out individual players or coaches when taking questions during his weekly press conference on Monday. He did, however, name nearly every position when listing what the Gators do well.
Cristobal reserved his highest praise for UF’s defense, a side which he described as schematically “very challenging.”
“They’ve been playing elite defense for several games, dating back to last season,” Cristobal said.
“Offensively, they’ve been very close on several occasions to having some great performances,” he continued. “It’s very clear they’re an extremely talented team. They’re well coached. They play hard. For us, a great opportunity.”
Cristobal said his team remains “process-oriented” in the midst of a rivalry week. The outside noise, he acknowledged, is even louder given Miami’s No. 4 ranking and the presence of ESPN’s traveling College Gameday circus coming to campus for the game.
While assuring reporters that the focus doesn’t shift from a day-to-day perspective, Cristobal conceded that the in-state rivalry tilt is significant in the big picture. The Canes' head coach said the annual round-robin between his team, UF and Florida State is meaningful both inside and outside the program.
“The state championship in the state of Florida is always going to be one of the highest goals we have,” he said. “There’s deep meaning to it.”
What About Lagway?
Cristobal wasn’t asked directly about UF quarterback DJ Lagway. In fact, he wasn’t asked specifically about any player for the Gators. He wasn’t even directly asked about embattled Florida head coach Billy Napier, who sank below .500 in his UF tenure after losses to South Florida and LSU in consecutive weeks.
It may have been unintentional to omit Lagway from his review of UF. When he said the Gators were “close” to great things on offense, he was likely including Lagway in that thought process. However, quarterback is the only position he didn’t specifically mention in his review of the Gators. He even made sure to note how “dynamic” UF’s kick returner has been.
After Lagway threw five interceptions in Florida’s loss to Top 5 LSU last week, it’s understandable not to heap praise on the sophomore quarterback. It’s also understandable to look at that game as a blueprint for opposing defenses when it comes to stymying the Gators attack.
How Lagway plays this weekend could decide the outcome of the game, just as it did for the Gators against LSU.
The other notable quarterback in the game is Miami’s Carson Beck. The Georgia transfer has lit up the stat sheets in the opening three weeks, impressing in wins against ranked Notre Dame and USF teams.
This will be the third year in a row for Beck to be the starting quarterback in a game against Florida, and the fifth year in a row that he’s been in the film room preparing for the Gators. In the age of the transfer portal and NIL deals, it’s rare to face a team so many times. Beck just happened to transfer to one of the two other schools that play Florida annually. He’s one of the few in the Miami locker room who has been playing against Florida for as long as Napier has been their head coach, despite the annual matchup.
Cristobal was asked on Monday if he thinks that gives Beck – and by extension, the entire Miami team – any kind of advantage. Cristobal prefaced his answer by reminding reporters that no team is ever the same from week to week, let alone season to season. He then acknowledged that this situation could be a little different.
“Without question, experience at that position, and understanding conceptually what we do versus what opponents show us, is always a tremendous bonus,” Cristobal said. “Certainly, he takes a lot of pride in studying his opponents, so any insight from him certainly is welcomed and respected.”
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