The Mario Cristobal era is alive in well in Coral Gables. The homecoming for the Head Coach of the Miami Hurricanes has been nothing short of exciting. Spring practice is a luminous indicator of how bright the future will be for a football program. Cristobal has the budget and the tools to construct Miami back into a winner. But it all starts out on Greentree Practice Field where Don Bailey, Jr., Miami Hurricanes radio color commentator interviewed Coach Cristobal post-scrimmage.
Saturday, scrimmage one for the Hurricanes marks a milestone in Cristobal’s career, the first scrimmage as head coach at his alma mater.
“When you go to your first scrimmage, typically you have some bad habits that show up,” said Cristobal post-scrimmage. “How you do anything is how you do anything so there’s progress but we are going to keep our foot on the gas. We have a lot of work to do.”
Offensive Line Needs Work
Apparently, work needs to be done when it comes to the running game and the offensive line. Bailey Jr., a former offensive lineman himself for Miami, spoke with former O-Lineman Cristobal and asked about the O-Line.
“We started out really well, running play-action, then we took a dip,” Cristobal said. “We couldn’t get out of our own way, and that was upsetting. I got to be honest with you. It set me off and rightfully so.”
The Hurricanes ranked 111th in rushing yards per game in 2021.
Physical Dominance Wins Day For Defense
Cristobal was clear on which side of the ball won on the day.
“The day went to them today,” said Cristobal of the defense. “They came out with a lot of juice. The offense scored a couple of times and pounded it out a little bit, but the defense forced a lot of three-and-outs. They brought pressure, they really made it difficult for the quarterback to get comfortable. They created some negative plays in early down-and-distance situations. Then they had some moments when the offense marched down methodically and scored. Got a couple of big plays as well. But overall if you had to add it up, the scorecard shows the defense did win today.”
Quarterback Room Is Top Notch
Although the defense won on the day, Coach Cristobal was thoroughly impressed with his quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (TVD)and feels he deserves the national attention he’s received.
“I still think he’s going to be if not the best, one of the best in the country,” said Cristobal of Van Dyke. “He understands where to put the ball, how to put it there. The importance of knowing your protection, who’s in who’s out, when you’re outnumbered, when you got to get rid of it quickly, leverage runs, putting us in an advantage play, it’s like having a coordinator on the field.”
TVD has a stranglehold on the starting job with a stellar 2021 season as a second-year freshman. The big (6-4, 224) quarterback earned ACC rookie of the year and ACC offensive rookie of the year honors. Van Dyke started nine games and passed for 2,931 yards totaling 25 touchdowns to six interceptions.
Jake Garcia, a highly touted redshirt freshman quarterback out of California by way of Grayson (GA) High School, also got plenty of kudos from his head coach.
“Jake has made some unbelievable plays out here,” Cristobal said. “Jake has come around really well also, we feel we have a great quarterback room.”
Miami has two more weeks of spring practice culminating with the Spring Game at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on April 16th. The kickoff is slated for noon eastern and will be televised on ACC Network.
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