The Miami Hurricanes set to face the Oregon Ducks or Indiana Hoosiers in CFP title game
The Miami Hurricanes are back in the national championship game for the first time since 2003.
They knocked off the Ole Miss Rebels Thursday in the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs. After the game, Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal addressed the outcome of the game.
"Honestly, football isn't complicated; people are," Cristobal said. "When you start jumping offsides and you get some of these pre-snap penalties, you complicate things for yourself. I think it's the simplicity of these guys. They know exactly who they are, and they know what it took to get us to this point and they were not settling for getting to this point just to get here. 1-0 was the objective. They weren't going to let anything get in the way. So all they did was do what they do every single day on the Greentree Practice Field and did it to an elite level to finish the game. Again, I can't speak more highly or proudly enough of them and their resilience."
The Hurricanes play either the Oregon Ducks or Indiana Hoosiers in the title game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. UM has come full circle from a few weeks ago when some felt the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or Texas Longhorns were more worthy of a berth in the CFP.
Instead, the Hurricanes knocked off the Texas A & M Aggies and the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes on the way to the championship game.
"For us, I guess it's the simplicity of how we just let our play on the field take care of itself, and answer any and all questions," Cristobal said. "I know a lot of times, I think narratives take over -- I don't know, popularity, social, the media in general. And this game has never been about that. I think these guys proved that, that after November 1st -- 69 days ago, I think is what it was -- they made a simple decision to bring energy every single day into the building and just get a little bit better and find a way to be 1-0. We haven't been home in a long time. We've been on the road for five straight games. And it's because of their work, their commitment, their belief, and their trust, and the confidence they have in each other."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of MiamiRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com.