COACH… “a lot of bad blood”

Miami dominated Florida on Saturday evening, 26-7 at Hard Rock Stadium. After beating another ranked team the Canes are now ranked the #2 team in the nation.

On Monday, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal appeared on The Joe Rose Show on 560 WQAM. On his weekly segment, Cristobal shared his thoughts on the rivalry victory and his team’s progress.

On getting the players ready to play an arch rival.

"There is a lot of bad blood and intensity in this game and to be

able to cut it loose really set the tone for the game…It was extremely physical and from an assignment standpoint it was on point with communication and quite frankly they were tired of how hearing last year was fluke up at The Swamp and you get that positive anger and start building towards the game and they were mentally locked in to go get after it and they certainly got after them."

On keeping the team focused…

"We just stay on the aggressive. Right away we are attacking it from top to bottom. The biggest fight always is against human nature and complacency.”

On how the team is adjusting to a national spotlight…

"You know how it is right now. All of a sudden, people try to get in. It is really intrusive and they try to get in the heads of players saying you should be playing more or you should be getting the ball here or you should be doing that. You have to look that right in the eye and say BS. This is a team sport and nothing can get in the way of the team. Nothing. It has been a great start in the non-conference schedule and now the real season begins.”

On defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman’s resurgent defense…

"The concept of swarming to the football is really kicking in…[coach Hetherman] challenges everybody with the simplicity of violent communication. He wants it to be very loud and very clear. Swarming to the football and getting all hats to the ball and making sure we play with technique and fundamentals. The clarity in his teaching and passion he teaches to his scheme and also the intangibles that come with playing on defense—he really knows what he is doing. The players trust him and they are playing lights out for him.”

On playing Florida in the future…

"I wish we could play them every single year. It is good for the fanbases and for the state, but we press on."

On preparing for another rival…

"We all recognize that for us to accomplish what we want to accomplish, we have to get a lot better, so we have a lot of work to do.”

Miami hits the road for the first time this season to take on another in-state rival, #8 Florida State, on Saturday, October 4th, in Tallahassee.

GO CANES!