As fall practice looms, Cristobal stresses ‘it's Miami versus Miami' until season starts
▪ Year 1, 2022: From Cristobal's perspective, the roster was 'not really built to take on Power 4 football.' They went 5-7. The seven losses were by an average of 21.6 points, including 45-3 to FSU, 40-10 to Clemson and 42-16 to Pittsburgh.
'Those were some lopsided games,' Cristobal said, 'and those were tough.'
▪ Year 2, 2023: Incremental steps were made. Miami swept its nonconference slate but only went 3-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference action and lost its bowl game to go 7-5. Only one loss by was more than 10 points.
'Everything was competitive,' Cristobal said, 'and we won a couple more.'
▪ Year 3, 2024: Another noticeable step forward. Miami, led by the best offense in the country, started a perfect 9-0 and was in heavy talks about being a College Football Playoff contender before things unraveled. Miami lost two of its final three regular-season games to miss out on both the ACC Championship Game and a spot in the 12-team playoff field. A bowl game loss followed to put a disappointing end to a 10-3 season.
'We had a chance to win every single game, but we didn't,' Cristobal said. 'The bottom line is we didn't get it done.'
And that sets the stage for Year 4, with expectations once again high and Cristobal hoping the Hurricanes get to the point where they, in his words, 'can play for championships and win championships.'
That will start Thursday when the Hurricanes begin their fall practice slate a month ahead of their marquee season opener against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Aug. 31 at Hard Rock Stadium.
But Cristobal isn't thinking about Notre Dame yet. Or at least he's not talking about it out loud. He has respect for his opponent — and the history between the Hurricanes and Fighting Irish runs deep — but Cristobal knows his focus for the next month has to be on what's inside his building. The priority lies in making sure the Hurricanes are ready for the task ahead, and that requires them to identify everything they need to do to put themselves on a path to success.
'It's Miami versus Miami until it's Miami versus somebody else,' Cristobal said.
Added senior linebacker Wesley Bissainthe: 'We're focusing on fall camp, tying to build our team's identity. The Notre Dame game will come eventually, but right now, we've got to find ourselves and find what we're good at.'
They have a lot to build on.
While 2024 ended in disappointing fashion, it was still the Hurricanes' first 10-win season since 2017. That said, UM's performance slipping down the stretch has been a trend during the Cristobal era.
In 2022, Miami lost three of its final four games.
In 2023, Miami lost four of its final five games.
And in 2024, Miami lost three of its final four games.
That will need to be remedied if Miami wants to succeed in 2025.
'Without a doubt, finishing is a mentality,' Cristobal said. 'Finishing is a work ethic that comes with the off-season. We've always invested a ton of effort in those areas, and we've invested even more this off-season, and it will be a big part of training camp, as well.'
Training camp will be here before they know it. So, too, will the season.
'Last season is in the past,' Bissainthe said. 'We've got our eyes on 2025, just looking forward to winning and taking every game one game at a time. We're not looking in the past. We're looking forward.'
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