Cristobal on Miami’s second scrimmage: ‘Big plays and big drops. It’s been inconsistent’
Two weeks before the University of Miami’s season opener against Bethune-Cookman, the Hurricanes had their second fall scrimmage late Saturday afternoon, likely solidifying several spots on the yet-to-be-revealed depth chart — though coach Mario Cristobal said there are still “several battles for significant roles and other roles that are still up in the air that will carry on into next week.”
According to Cristobal’s UM-produced video synopsis of the closed scrimmage at Greentree Field, the Hurricanes continued to battle but also continued to falter during a “120-plus-play” day in sweltering weather conditions that approached 100 degrees.
“We saw some big plays and we saw some big-play opportunities not converted on,’’ Cristobal said. “The film tells the truth. Tomorrow will be a day of assessment.”
The coach said he extended the scrimmage longer than he had previously planned “because we’ve got to get used to that.’’
The difference from scrimmage one to scrimmage two?
“More efficient in several aspects,’’ Cristobal said. “Had some big plays and had some big drops.
“There’s no way to cut it. Can’t sugarcoat that. At the end of the day we have to continue to get better so we can trust ourselves to run the playbook. There’s no shying away from that...‘We had some really good things in the passing game but it’s been inconsistent and we’ve got to improve that. Had some up and down days in every aspect.”
Similar to after UM’s first fall scrimmage last weekend, Cristobal did not name any players and did not cite statistics, describing mostly broad takeaways.
Here’s more of what Cristobal said:
▪ On camp not being over: “The competitive level of our team, they continue to get better, they continue to rise. But we’ve got work to do. Camp isn’t over. That’s a misconception out there. Camp isn’t over. It just happens to collide with the start of classes, which for us is a great opportunity for us to find out more about who can be trusted on this team. Who is going to maintain a high level of academic obligations and fulfill [their] obligations?
▪ On the defense: “We’re striking better. We’re coming out of our hips better, we’re striking, we’re holding the point a little bit. In pass rush we’re holding edges better, we’re getting rid of blockers. Block destruction has paid off because our double team and double-team recognition and reach block, man block, cutoff block recognition has taken a drastic step up as well and we’re finishing plays a little bit better.”
▪ On the elements: “We have to take a lot of pride in the elements we practice in and use it to our advantage. There has to be a lot of pride in the fact that we train in this all summer. And the guys do a hell of a job. We’ve got trainers, we’re hydrating, we’re making sure the rest periods are appropriate. But it also tests you and a day like today when you’re in play 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 of a drive, the film is going to show who really is in game condition and who still has some work to do.
“Certainly the commitment to the offseason in terms of conditioning, in terms of lifting, it shows up on a day like this because on days like this, football, it tells the truth. And the truth was told today.”
▪ On players being exposed: “The guys that really attack the offseason, it shows up in a big, positive way. And the guys that quite don’t understand it, and aren’t there, it also exposes those guys. Today we found out a lot about our team.’’
Quarterbacks not mentioned
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke told reporters Friday that the priority Saturday was to be “more explosive,’’ but the coach neither described quarterback play nor the play of his running backs, who had two players (TreVonte’ Citizen and Don Chaney Jr.) injured in the past week.
Cristobal said going into the scrimmage that coaches are “trying to squeeze 10 years into seven months... We’re not there yet.’’ He also said going into the scrimmage that he wanted “to find out who’s for real.’’
“We’ll always work with guys,’’ the coach said, but it’s time to really find out who steps up. It has to be challenging.
▪ Cristobal said the players had a barbecue with their parents after the scrimmage.
▪ The Hurricanes, like the rest of the UM student body, begin classes on Monday and will be off. This week’s players’ schedule will include heavy, full-padded practices on Tuesday and Wednesday while still working on themselves. Cristobal said coaches will incorporate “exotic things” as well and “bring that out later in the year” so they “can summon our cerebral memory of those reps” and “they’re not completely foreign to us.’’
UM, which finished 7-5 last year under former coach Manny Diaz, was ranked No. 16 last Monday in the AP preseason Top 25 poll. The previous week the Canes were ranked No. 17 in the coaches poll.
After UM’s 3:30 p.m. opener (ACC Network) Sept. 3 at Hard Rock Stadium, the Canes will face newly joined Sunbelt Conference member Southern Miss at noon Sept. 10 (ACC Network) at the Rock. After that it’s a Sept. 17 nationally televised game (9 p.m. ESPN) at AP preseason No. 6 Texas A&M.
This story was originally published August 20, 2022 at 8:09 PM.
