Mario Cristobal Knows No. 1 Miami Will Find Ways To Win Just By Doing One Thing
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Mario Cristobal Knows No. 1 Miami Will Find Ways To Win Just By Doing One Thing
Oct 31, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Miami (FL) Hurricanes tight end Elija Lofton (9) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels linebacker Peyton Seelmann (10) and defensive back Jaiden Patterson (18) defend in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Hurricanesplayed a clean game against North Carolina. committing no turnovers and were the least penalized team. Those are recipes for winning a game where defense was a massive issue.
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Moreover, with those issues, head coachMario Cristoballooks for answers in the details before the trip to South Bend. An answer was found in the fourth quarter whenMarquise Lightfootforced a strip-sack, giving the Canes the edge to hold out for the win.
"It was a matter of you just have to keep your guys playing as hard as they can for as long as they can," Cristobal said on the Joe Rose Show Monday Morning. "Eventually, you are going to find a situation where a play is going to come to you just by doing your job. You are going to get the momentum, and when you have it, you have to take it and finish it. We were able to finish it in the fourth quarter."
Struggles with tackles and finishing plays have been costing the Hurricanes this season. Many of these secondary issues have started to pop up from missed tackles on screen passes, gashing them week after week.
Cristobal knows it comes down to execution, something he will ram into his troops this week.
Oct 31, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Miami (FL) Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal with North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick after the game at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
" I see detail and execution and communication, and we didn't tackle well," Cristobal said on the Joe Rose Show. "When there was a lot of space, and they checked the ball down into the boundary or a screen play, there were some missed tackles. In the world of coaching, you have to find answers. We have the ability to find answers, and we just have to get there."
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Furthermore, finishing plays is the one solution that answers all questions. Tackling is the focal point this week for the Hurricanes, who face a very elusive quarterback in CJ Carr. Miami needs to bring him down, or dangerous things will happen.
"At the end of the day, you can win your one-on-one, but it's the guy who steps up, slides left, right, right, and takes off with the ball, or by the time he gets the ball down the field, you know, and it's the team of college football, right, quarterback, second, extend plays, Cristobal said. " It rains toreme, man. So if you do win, right, when you get your one on ones and we have one a good number of them, is you've got to finish on the quarterback."
The Hurricanes and Fighting Irish will meet in South Bend on NBC at 6:30 p.m. ET for the game of the year.
