It’s a custom of the college football season for head coaches across the nation to meet with the media towards the beginning of the week and discuss the prior week’s matchup and preview their upcoming test. Fans are often privy to the quotes coming out of their own team’s HQ, but what about their upcoming opponents’?
Let’s take a look at some of the quotes that Miami’s head coach Mario Cristobal had to say that referenced Indiana specifically in his Monday press conference.
Q: Doing a story on the fact that you played with Fernando’s dad. Any recollections of playing with him? What was that like when you guys played together?
“We went 6-4. We won the district championship in a three-way tiebreaker. They used to have a Kansas City tiebreaker down here in Dade County where you put the ball on the 10-yard line and flip a coin.
It was us, Miami Beach, Coral Gables. Carlos Huerta, great Miami kicker, kicked the winning kick. We won the district title. We played number one Southridge in the state championship. They had a couple Hurricanes on there, Robert Bailey and Herbert James.
We punted. Robert Bailey fumbled the punt. He’ll deny it, but he did. We recovered. Huerta kicked the field goal and we beat the number one team in the state.
And then we lost the next week in sectionals to Carol City, who was coached by Walt Frazier, one of the best of all time ever to do it. Players like Rudy Barber, who was a teammate here. Couple guys — Cedric (indiscernible), may he rest in peace; Tim Paulk, Godfrey Myles — just an awesome time for Dade County football. Just awesome memories.”
Q: Did you guys stay in touch?
“I mean not really. I think when you go to Columbus, that brotherhood is extremely strong. You know, I mean, everywhere you go, especially in town you run in — but we have crossed paths before. Certainly he was an excellent football player and has become such a prominent member of the community down here in the medical field. And certainly all the respect in the world for him and his family.”
Q: Earlier you talked about having played with Fernando’s dad. I want to talk about the irony of having his son not only win the Heisman but be the quarterback that you’re going to face in a national championship, having not only him and Alberto being from Miami and the same high school that you and his father played at. The irony of playing against Fernando, the son of a guy you played high school ball with.
“Yeah, football is awesome. It’s almost that part of it coming full circle — his son is a great football player. He’s obviously the — the Heisman was earned and well-deserved.
The type of season that Fernando has had, really they dominated just about every game. And anytime a game was close, he was a big reason why the outcome is or was what it was because of his level of play.
His younger brother is going to be as good or even better. And I think if you talk to the people over there at their university and at Columbus High School, they’ll tell you that. Just really tough, smart, hardworking, awesome young men that represent their families and their university really well.”
Q: If there wasn’t such close ties and you didn’t know him as well as you do, if you just flipped on the film for the first time, what would you think about Fernando? Like why is he special as a player?
“I think he combines everything that you would want in an elite quarterback. He’s ahead of the defense all the time. He’s two steps ahead. He understands the back end, the front. He’s extremely accurate, poised. He can make you pay with his feet. He can make you pay with his arm.
He understands protections really well. He anticipates like no other. He really has distinguished himself as the best football player in the country this year, and it’s not by accident. A lot of reps, a lot of hard work, a guy that’s been a complete difference-maker for their program.”
Q: You faced Fernando last year back at Cal, and I’m curious just what you remember about his performance in that game, and what you would say about maybe his growth since that time, to what he’s doing now?
“Well, you saw all the things that you see now, except the supporting cast right now is very different.
Certainly, the system is completely different. But you’re looking at a massive, physical, tough, offensive line that is on point. They don’t make mistakes. Their IDs are exactly what they need to be when they need to be that way.
Their receivers are big-time playmakers, and they do it with back shoulder, underthrown fades. They do it by running by you, underneath, finding soft spots in zone coverage. And they’re complemented by a very physical downhill run game, one that could circle you as well.
A guy like that in that system, with that level of coaching, where, I mean, he has been coached to continue to progress at such a high level.
You see the player, you saw the talent last year. The supporting cast wasn’t there yet and they were a really good team, we thought. But this year, obviously, it’s a whole different level with where he’s at.”
Q: You spoke a lot about Fernando, but their offensive guys, Indiana on defense, just your impressions of them, what you’ve seen from them defensively.
“They’re the best overall team and best defense we have faced. I know that their rankings and anything statistically important are between 1 and 5. It starts with this. They’re really fast, physical, explosive, talented and smart. They play with a lot of physicality, a lot of violence. They understand their scheme top to bottom.
They make it very challenging, and I’ll tell you why. They’re multiple up front and they’re multiple on the back end. So the way that they understand what you’re doing so well, they set up and line up in a manner where they challenge your IDs.
You know, they’ve done a great job confusing opponent offensive lines with how they line up and how they bluff and disguise what they’re doing, not only in the front seven, but on the back end. That’s the challenge with them.
You’ve got to understand, these guys, they’ve played a lot of game together. A lot of these guys came over from JMU. They went deep into the playoffs, right, a year ago. They’ve been in this system and have played a lot of ball together. And therefore that’s why you see the instantaneous reactions. The physicality, the closing speed that they have on a-down-after down basis.
And on top of that, I think it’s really important to point out from a technique and fundamental standpoint, that’s what really stands out to me, because they play with their feet in the ground, with great pad level and with elite use of their hands. They understand how to leverage the ball and what to do when they get there.
From a turnover-margin standpoint, they’re number one in the country, and they play great complementary football. You witnessed some of it in their last game. But if you looked throughout the course of the season, from the first series at Iowa, to this last weekend with the pick-6 and the forced fumble and whatnot, they do a great job playing complementary football.”