As the Miami Hurricanes face tremendous pressure, Mario Cristobal in confident in how the team will respond to finish the season.
The Miami Hurricanes started the college football season on a fantastic note, but recently, they have found themselves in a predicament. The team has lost two games in the last three weeks against unranked ACC opponents, ending with a heartbreaking interception in the final drive.
After the Hurricanes' victory against the Florida State Seminoles, they were expected to go undefeated for the rest of the season. It was a clear path towards competing for an ACC title. However, in reality, their fate is no longer in their control.
First, it was a tough loss against the Louisville Cardinals, who shut down the Hurricanes' run game, only finishing with 63 rushing yards. Quarterback Carson Beck was horrendous in taking care of the football, throwing four interceptions. Despite all the mishaps, the Hurricanes still had a chance to win the game. However, in an attempt at a comeback, the redshirt senior threw an interception, sealing their defeat.
They bounced back against the Stanford Cardinal, with a final score of 42-7, but would then face another difficult challenge against the SMU Mustangs, who had one of the best running defenses in the nation.
However, the biggest story for the Hurricanes as they traveled to Dallas, Texas, was being rained on with yellow flags. They were penalized 12 times for a loss of 96 yards.
Mario Cristobal recently mentioned in his weekly media availability that they reached out to the ACC for clarity about the situation, especially a roughing the passer, which was called on defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot in the fourth quarter. However, there's been no response as of yet.
The Hurricanes lost another crucial game against an unranked ACC opponent, with a final score of 26-20 in overtime. The pressure for them to win out the rest of their schedule rises, with the margin of error getting slimmer. They will face the Syracuse Orange this Saturday, back on their home turf, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
After this week, the Hurricanes will play their final home game against the NC State Wolfpack, then two on the road against the Virginia Tech Hokies and Pitt Panthers.
Cristobal knows what's at stake and the goals the team had set to begin the season, but still believes in the personnel to get the job done.
"We have good people, hardworking people, people that have a high care factor," he said. "Also, people that recognize opportunity and know that the college football landscape, this thing down the stretch, is unpredictable as it gets. We will be one of a dozen or so teams that will have an opportunity, if we take care of business, to continue to push into the postseason."
Cristobal described the team as "frustrated," but not "helpless."
It's going to take great discipline for the team to finish strong, it's a tough challenge but not impossible.