Monday with Mario: Miami Hurricanes coach shares more take off scrimmage, fall progress, sees “a lot of progress”

Mario Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes saw the first week-and-a-half of fall camp mostly dominated by the defense … but that changed in the first real live action Saturday morning when the team held its first fall scrimmage. As CaneSport reported previously, QB Cam Ward had his best day of the fall, and RB Damien Martinez shined with a long run early. All the receivers and running backs also had their moments. It was a solid performance for a unit that is expected to be one of the ACC’s – and perhaps the nation’s – most explosive.

“The defense had been getting after the offense pretty much all of camp,” Cristobal said Monday morning on 560 AM. “(the offense) got rolling, the defense came back and made some really good plays. Overall the day belonged to the offense.”

Of Ward, Cristobal said that he’s the first one in the building in the morning and that “he’s just hungry and driven, man. … there’s no taking the foot off the gas for him. He’s just going to keep bringing it.”

While the offense won the day on Saturday, the defense also had its moments, and Cristobal is encouraged by what he’s seen on that side, too.

“We assess down to down, drill to drill, series to series to see what’s actually going on,” Cristobal said. “It has been very competitive. As a coach you really start to worry if it’s a butt whooping on one side every single day. That’s not nearly the case. There’s a ton of legitimate back and forth competition. It bodes well for us. A lot of improvement.”

Cristobal also said the team is working to add more depth as fall drills continue, and that he wants to throw and run equally well on the offensive side.

“Coach (Shannon) Dawson and the offensive staff has done an unbelievable job formulating a plan that really highlights and makes sure we get the ball in the hands of guys that can make this happen”

Cristobal said last year the issues was explosive plays but that it was an efficient offense.

“Whatever it takes to move the ball,” he said. “You have to make sure it gets spread around, but aim to be as explosive as you can possibly be, and our coordinator is doing that.”

Cristobal, of course, has revamped the roster coming off last year’s 7-6 finish, with at least eight projected new starters coming from the portal. That includes Ward (Washington State), Martinez (Oregon State), C Zach Carpenter (Indiana), WR Sam Brown (Houston), DE Tyler Baron (Louisville/Tennessee, could back up Akheem Mesidor), DTs CJ Clark (NC State) and Simeon Barrow (Michigan State) plus DBs Mishael Powell (Washington) and D’yoni Hill (Marshall, battling to start). LB Jaylin Alderman is also making a case to start in a battle with returner Wesley Bissainthe.

They are meshing with returners like WRs Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George, three starting O linemen (Jalen Rivers, Anez Cooper, Francis Mauigoa), TEs Elijah Arroyo and freshman Elija Lofton plus star DE Rueben Bain, DL Mesidor (former West Virginia transfer), LB Francisco Mauigoa plus the aforementioned Bissainthe and CB Daryl Porter, Jr. and nickel Damari Brown.

There are a lot of new pieces that are fitting in, and the hope is this can be a big jump up from last year.

That starts in fall camp.

“We’re throwing the kitchen sink at them this week from a situation standpoint, adversity – extended drives,” Cristobal said. “They are going to have to find a way to respond. And they’re all about it.”

Cristobal stressed that the goal is simple: “Get better.”

“We have to focus on getting better,” he said. “We praise the stuff that is done well, but there’s a lot of focus on the intensity and physicality of football.”

Cristobal said the line of scrimmage on both sides has gotten a lot of attention as UM wants it to be dominant.

“It’s getting better,” he said.

Cristobal also addressed the secondary, which could be a question mark given there are four starters that departed, but that group has shined quite a bit this fall notwithstanding some hiccups on Saturday.

“In terms of talent we have more talent than has been here in recent years,” Cristobal said of the secondary. “That’s progress. We have to keep doing that, more and more at every level. Everyone in the building is incredibly impressed with our secondary. Sometimes we mistake having a lot of young guys with guys that aren’t ready. We are 1,000 percent confident in our guys. They can flat out play, are smart, tough, can tackle and they can cover.”

One of the highlights on Saturday for this group was an interception by safety Mishael Powell, and asked about him Cristobal said, “He’s as good as any of the guys I’ve been fortunate to be around. He’s a professional about everything he does. He’s all about the work. Super high IQ, and he just goes.”

*Cristobal said “most” of the freshmen will see the field in some capacity this year, whether it’s on special teams or competing to be on the two-deep.

“These next couple of weeks will determine their role as we begin the season,” Cristobal said.

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