Miami's Mario Cristobal After Duke Loss: Go Somewhere Else If You're Not Playing Hard
October 22, 2022
The Miami Hurricanes fell to the Duke Blue Devils 45-21 on Saturday to fall to 3-4 on the season, and head coach Mario Cristobal ripped his players for not working hard enough following his team's latest loss.
"If someone’s not playing hard, they have to go play somewhere else," Cristobal said, per Brett McMurphy of Action Network. "What we have to do requires tough people. To turn a program, rebuild it, it requires tough-minded people willing to do the work"
The Hurricanes had a solid start to the season, posting wins over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats and Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Since then, things have gone downhill for Cristobal's squad.
Miami lost its next three games to the Texas A&M Aggies, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and North Carolina Tar Heels and dropped to 2-3 on the season. The Canes bounced back with a slim 20-14 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Oct. 15, but their latest loss has them back below .500.
Miami struggled mightily in Saturday's game against Duke. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who completed 11 of 16 passes for 81 yards and one touchdown, exited with an injury and was replaced by Jake Garcia, who completed just 13 of 21 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns against three interceptions in relief.
The Hurricanes committed an unacceptable eight turnovers in Saturday's loss, including five fumbles in addition to Garcia's three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.
Fans had high hopes for Miami this season following the hiring of Cristobal, who led the Oregon Ducks to a 35-13 record and four bowl appearances in his five seasons as head coach, but that success hasn't translated with the Hurricanes.
Miami is going to need a solid turnaround to make a bowl in Cristobal's first season as head coach. The Canes have a tough schedule remaining with games against Virginia, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Pittsburgh.
They'll try to bounce back next weekend against Virginia.