Mario Cristobal, Miami Trolled by Fans After Collapse in Upset Loss vs. Georgia Tech

The Miami Hurricanes football team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Saturday.

Miami led Georgia Tech 20-17 with 34 seconds remaining in regulation. The Hurricanes possessed the ball on a 3rd-and-10 from the Georgia Tech 30-yard line. The Yellow Jackets had no timeouts, so one kneeldown would have ended the game.

This was an easy call for victory formation, giving Miami a 5-0 record in the process.

Inexplicably, Miami called for a running play. Donald Chaney Jr., who had a solid game with 103 rushing yards on 23 carries, fumbled after a throng of Yellow Jackets tackled him. Georgia Tech defensive lineman Kyle Kennard recovered the ball, giving his team a shot at a miracle from its own 26-yard line with 25 seconds left.

Quarterback Haynes King found Malik Rutherford on a 30-yard pass two plays later. After an incomplete pass, King defied all odds with a 44-yard touchdown strike to Christian Leary with one second remaining.

Miami had one final shot but fumbled again, leading to one of the most remarkable finishes in recent college football memory.

Credit to Georgia Tech for taking advantage of the situation and completing an amazing comeback, but the bullseye is on Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, who admitted postgame that he should have told quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to take a knee:

He also offered an explanation for why he didn't ask Van Dyke to go into victory formation:

Needless to say, bewilderment and confusion took centerstage from a host of analysts and fans alike.

Cristobal has found himself in this situation before when he was Oregon's head coach. Kneeldowns would have given his Ducks a 31-28 win over Stanford during a Sept. 22, 2018 game, but that did not happen.

Miami will look to move forward next Saturday with a visit to North Carolina.