Miami AD gives game ball to Cristobal, who gives it to players. ‘Energy through the roof’
University of Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich was in the locker room after the Hurricanes’ season-opening 70-13 victory over Bethune-Cookman.
In a video clip posted by UM, Radakovich, who came to UM from Clemson in December, addressed the team.
You worked “all summer, all winter, as coach said,’’ a thrilled Radakovich said as he waved a UM-engraved football in his right hand. “Coaching staff, sports staff, congratulations, great start.”
Then, Radakovich turned toward head coach Mario Cristobal, extending the football his way.
“Coach Cristobal, this one’s for you,’’ Radakovich said, eliciting cheers from the players.
Cristobal then hoisted the ball above his players and, thrusting his hand with every word, shouted, “And this one is for you!”
Receiver Xavier Restrepo, who led all players with 100 yards and a touchdown receiving Saturday, was asked about the coach running out of the smoke for the first time before kickoff.
“You can just imagine his thought process and the way he’s feeling coming out of the tunnel,’’ Restrepo said. “It’s not the same exact stadium [as the former Orange Bowl], but for the team he played for in the past and won championships with... The emotions were so high — through the roof.
“Coach Cristobal just carries the entire team on his shoulders. We were super excited every single time we scored or every single time we did something big for him, because he put so much in this program in the past and he’s still continuing to put a lot into the program now.”
Running back Henry Parrish, an Ole Miss transfer who led the Canes with 108 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, said the coach was “very proud of our performance, but like he said, ‘It’s back to work.’ You can’t get too big-headed. This was supposed to happen.’’
Parrish, a third-year sophomore who played at Miami Christopher Columbus, Cristobal’s alma mater, was overjoyed to play at Hard Rock in front of an announced crowd of 56,795 fans.
“It felt amazing playing in my backyard,’’ he said. “Good fan base, my family, friends, it don’t get no better than this.”
‘Electrifying’
Defensive end Akheem Mesidor, a West Virginia transfer from Canada, said his first game as a Hurricane was “electrifying.’’
“First time at Hard Rock Stadium,’’ said the third-year sophomore, who had a pass breakup that initiated Gil Frierson’s pick-six, sack and tackle for loss. “Loved it. Loved the fans. I’m looking forward to more.”
Then there was Cristobal, who clearly was emotional behind closed doors, but when asked after the game about getting his first win at Miami out of the way, was back to his usual “process oriented” self.
“Some people say things to sound cool during a press conference, but I don’t,’’ Cristobal said. “The last thing in the world on my mind is me. I’m talking about the very last thing on my mind. When there is change, change is difficult and especially a blueprint like this which demands a lot. They’ve done a really good job of taking it on and they want to see the results as much as anyone else, but we need to stay process oriented.
“There were a couple times where we got a little out of whack — we had a substitution error, and we had a busted coverage on a touchdown. They broke containment, but getting back to the process got us a little bit better and more towards what we wanted to do.
“In terms of me getting stuff out of the way, nah brother. I’m sure a lot of our guys would’ve liked to keep playing. They did a good job tonight.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2022 at 4:37 PM.
