Miami coach Mario Cristobal was unable to get over the hump as his No. 10 Hurricanes lost 27-21 to the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in the national championship game on Monday. After barely squeaking into the College Football Playoffs, the Canes navigated a gauntlet, including beating Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss, to reach the championship game.
How Were Miami HC Mario Cristobal’s Shortcomings in the Natty Game Laid Bare?
After running the dominant Hoosiers close all game, a crushing interception thrown by quarterback Carson Beck ended the Canes’ stirring bid to tie the game, instead handing coach Curt Cignetti and Indiana their first national championship.
During the “New Heights” podcast, analyst Greg Olsen, who was coached by Cristobal, gave a brutal assessment of the mistakes made by the Hurricanes during the national championship game.
“It was a clean game. There wasn’t a lot of controversy. The last pick by Carson Beck was the only turnover,” Olsen said. “It was a good, clean football game. Our offense really struggled in the first half, came to life in the second, and the game kind of flipped. Our offense came to life, the passing game started clicking, and we scored back-to-back.
“We just couldn’t get a stop. The two fourth downs, throwing back shoulder fades, and of course, the fourth down quarterback draw was a hell of a play by [Fernando] Mendoza. Mario Cristobal is a stud. He was my tight ends coach in college. The fact that he’s back home, has them back on the national stage, would’ve been a storybook ending.”
Olsen and Cristobal’s careers intersected in Coral Gables when the former was a tight end for Miami from 2003 to 2006, and the latter was the tight ends coach from 2004 to 2006.
Cristobal Takes Blame for Heartbreaking Loss
During his postgame news conference after the loss to Indiana, Cristobal took the blame for his team’s mistakes during the game and promised to use the loss as fuel for another championship run next season.
“I’ll take full blame for it. We were one drive short of winning the National Championship. I do see pain in moments like this, and we should. If we’re a competitor that’s worth anything, you feel it, and you use it,” Cristobal said.
“You give those feelings a direction. I know the guys coming back will, and I know that the guys moving on will also use that as fuel.”
Despite the gut-wrenching loss in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium, Cristobal will welcome back a core that includes wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. next season to bolster the Canes’ championship bid.
