Cristobal talks Ball State game, Robby Washington to CB: “We believe he will be an elite corner”
Miami is on to Ball State. Mario Cristobal made that point clear, even as he praised several players for their performances against FAMU. Below is a summary of Coach Cristobal's weekly press conference:
On the FAMU win: We got to play a really good team this past Saturday. Coach Colzie and those guys do a really good job. We started fast and got in an offensive rut there for a bit and then snapped out of it. We responded well and had a chance to play some better football. We played a lot of guys. A lot of freshmen and redshirt freshmen played. We have some areas that were improved and some other areas that we’ve certainly got to get better at, particularly the post-snap penalties. But a lot of positive stuff.
We came out with no significant injuries and have been preparing for a veteran offensive team and a very talented defensive team in Ball State. They do a lot of good stuff and have a lot of good players. So looking forward to our opportunity this Saturday here.
On the young players getting playing time: They earned it. When we enter games like that, we never present playing opportunities and playing time as an inherent right. We made sure that that was something that was going to be earned, was going to be displayed, exhibited in practice. They were going to have to know what they're doing, how they're doing it, why we're doing it that way, and then let them compete. They earned the opportunity.
I do want to single out both Robert Stafford and Adarius Hayes on special teams. Our coverage team on kickoff took a massive step up because of those two guys. Some other guys, but those two guys really stood out and were special teams players of the game. Just a couple more examples of guys that earned that time and made the most of it.
On the challenge for Cam Ward this week: Everything. He knows that he's done some unbelievable stuff, but there's no focus on that. You recognize it, and there's praise that comes with that, but more focus on areas that we can continue to get better at.
We take over at the 20-yard line after a bad punt and a good defensive stand down there. Ironically, we scored a 99-yard drive, but we didn't get any points after getting the ball at the 20-yard line of our opponent. Things like that fall a little bit on everybody.
What would I say for Cam? Heck, you'd have to sit in a quarterback meeting room with us. We would go in detail as to all the things that we want to improve on. He certainly doesn't shy away from it. He takes it on every single day. He wants to make this team better. He wants to make sure we stay a driven, unselfish, hardworking team.
On Emory Williams getting a redshirt: He had a great camp. Prior agreements prevent later misunderstandings. He's done very well. He's an excellent player. And you know what? We think Reese is a good player as well. He got some snaps the other day, but certainly Emory has done a really good job pushing himself, pushing his teammates and having very clear understanding as to how we're proceeding.
More on Cam Ward: He's excelled in practices, he's excelled as a leader, and certainly in games he's done it as well. There's a lot more to him. It's good everyone saw him take off with the ball the other day. We don't want him jumping around all over the place, but when you have to, you have to. He's not made out of ceramic and doesn't play like a guy that's fragile. He throws his body around and he does whatever he has to to help his teammates win.
There's a lot more in the tank for Cam Ward. I think people will continue to see what we believe and what we know. But he's exhibiting it, so we won't proclaim it. We'll just let him continue to show it.
On Robby Washington playing CB: Robby's an excellent athlete, a really good football player. Unfortunately, he's had some nagging injuries since he's arrived here at Miami. It just so happens that we need a little bit of help at the DB spot.
In practice, we've done it with him before. Whenever we do tackling drills, when we do coverage drills, his natural ability to bend, to come to balance, to strike ball carriers is special. He did some in high school, if you watched some of his clips at safety, just a very natural guy.
When we threw him up there in press coverage and some of the one-on-one stuff we would do in the spring, it was evident he's super talented. We believe he will be an elite corner. Those are strong words, but he has the ability to get on people and stay on people, and he's smart, and he's tough, and he's a good guy. We look forward to continue developing him for his career.
On Markel Bell filling in for Jalen Rivers at LT: Jalen's coming along, he's close to getting back, but a lot of faith in Markel. Markel has earned the opportunity to play, and he played well the other night. He got called for a holding, but that was a long, extended play that involved a lot of different angles. A tough situation for him, but he's powerful, he's athletic, he now has confidence. His teammates trust him, quarterbacks trust him, running backs trust him. Nothing but upside there. He's just gonna continue to get better and better and has a really bright future.
On Damari Brown and Ryan Rodriguez: Getting better. We're hopeful. We're always going to list those guys week-to-week with injuries. I can't say I'm going to be completely open and transparent. I won't come out blatantly and tell you something that's not true, but we’re gonna keep certain things close to the vest.
On Dyoni Hill: Fast, explosive guy. He's a really good tackler and he was one that was nagged by a couple things in camp. He came on strong, finally healed up, had a few plays the previous week at Florida. He played a bunch this week. We think the world of him. And he's got a couple years left as well, getting better and better, continued strength and conditioning and nutrition. Just a team guy. He did a great job on special teams, as well.
On Wesley Bissainthe: It is clicking for him. Player of the game. His natural instincts are on display because he is confident in the scheme and what he's doing. Now he can just play ball. He's not thinking anymore.
He was as low as 178, probably walked in at 185. Now, he's almost 230 pounds, sometimes over 230 pounds. He knows his stuff. He's in great, great shape. He is physical, so it's all coming together for him and it's fun to watch. He's worked really, really hard. He comes from an awesome family. Glad to get to watch him play and excel like he's doing.
On Isaiah Horton: Can’t say enough great things about that guy. That guy just worked. In a day and age where things are more transient, that guy just put his head down and kept working. He worked through some bumps, he worked through some difficult situations on the depth chart, and at the end sees himself being a significant contributor.
He's another one where the sky's the limit. Huge upside, big, strong, physical. Offense suits him really, really well. The position suits him really, really well. But he's got versatility as well. We haven't displayed it yet, but he does play inside. Obviously, he's been playing outside for us. He's gonna be a great one, he really is. He's done some great things so far, and he's a team guy, so super excited about him.
On Ball State: First thing that sticks out, their offensive line. Big, nasty, physical. Four or five returning starters, a ton of starts together. Just nasty. They get after you. They really, really do. The quarterback played a great game. They have explosive wide receivers, and they're a veteran offensive crew.
They have a lot of change over on defense, but you don't see a drop off on defense. You're looking at a team that, for the last half of their season last year, they allowed barely over 15 points a game. They fortified their roster with some transfers and some freshmen and some other guys that have been the program for a while. We studied them throughout the summer and we knew that this was gonna be a really good opponent coming into play. We're excited for the challenge there.
On Northern Illinois beating Notre Dame: You better learn your lessons by watching or listening, or you're gonna feel them. That's a reality. Here's the thing, guys: every team has good football players. If you don't really believe that, and you don't really train like that, there's going to come a Saturday, a Friday, a Thursday where you're going to be disappointed.
For us, the very best thing that we do is the way we practice and prepare. And it's led by the team. The best thing we have going for us is our culture. It allows us to be very blunt and real and right to the point and get to business. We made it very clear from the beginning, there are no easy games on our schedule. Whoever thinks that way will be disappointed one day. Stay hungry, stay driven. The most important game of the year is at 3:30 on Saturday, and we're looking forward to it.
On Chris Johnson: He’s an excellent player. Huge upside, gonna continue to be an excellent player, and gonna continue to increase his role. He's earned it. He has worked hard. He has made plays in practice. He has shown that he's dependable. He's got great ball security. He does not bust any plays. He knows what to do and how to do it. And he's an awesome teammate. He deserves it, and we're gonna make sure he gets it.
On the FAMU win: We got to play a really good team this past Saturday. Coach Colzie and those guys do a really good job. We started fast and got in an offensive rut there for a bit and then snapped out of it. We responded well and had a chance to play some better football. We played a lot of guys. A lot of freshmen and redshirt freshmen played. We have some areas that were improved and some other areas that we’ve certainly got to get better at, particularly the post-snap penalties. But a lot of positive stuff.
We came out with no significant injuries and have been preparing for a veteran offensive team and a very talented defensive team in Ball State. They do a lot of good stuff and have a lot of good players. So looking forward to our opportunity this Saturday here.
On the young players getting playing time: They earned it. When we enter games like that, we never present playing opportunities and playing time as an inherent right. We made sure that that was something that was going to be earned, was going to be displayed, exhibited in practice. They were going to have to know what they're doing, how they're doing it, why we're doing it that way, and then let them compete. They earned the opportunity.
I do want to single out both Robert Stafford and Adarius Hayes on special teams. Our coverage team on kickoff took a massive step up because of those two guys. Some other guys, but those two guys really stood out and were special teams players of the game. Just a couple more examples of guys that earned that time and made the most of it.
On the challenge for Cam Ward this week: Everything. He knows that he's done some unbelievable stuff, but there's no focus on that. You recognize it, and there's praise that comes with that, but more focus on areas that we can continue to get better at.
We take over at the 20-yard line after a bad punt and a good defensive stand down there. Ironically, we scored a 99-yard drive, but we didn't get any points after getting the ball at the 20-yard line of our opponent. Things like that fall a little bit on everybody.
What would I say for Cam? Heck, you'd have to sit in a quarterback meeting room with us. We would go in detail as to all the things that we want to improve on. He certainly doesn't shy away from it. He takes it on every single day. He wants to make this team better. He wants to make sure we stay a driven, unselfish, hardworking team.
On Emory Williams getting a redshirt: He had a great camp. Prior agreements prevent later misunderstandings. He's done very well. He's an excellent player. And you know what? We think Reese is a good player as well. He got some snaps the other day, but certainly Emory has done a really good job pushing himself, pushing his teammates and having very clear understanding as to how we're proceeding.
More on Cam Ward: He's excelled in practices, he's excelled as a leader, and certainly in games he's done it as well. There's a lot more to him. It's good everyone saw him take off with the ball the other day. We don't want him jumping around all over the place, but when you have to, you have to. He's not made out of ceramic and doesn't play like a guy that's fragile. He throws his body around and he does whatever he has to to help his teammates win.
There's a lot more in the tank for Cam Ward. I think people will continue to see what we believe and what we know. But he's exhibiting it, so we won't proclaim it. We'll just let him continue to show it.
On Robby Washington playing CB: Robby's an excellent athlete, a really good football player. Unfortunately, he's had some nagging injuries since he's arrived here at Miami. It just so happens that we need a little bit of help at the DB spot.
In practice, we've done it with him before. Whenever we do tackling drills, when we do coverage drills, his natural ability to bend, to come to balance, to strike ball carriers is special. He did some in high school, if you watched some of his clips at safety, just a very natural guy.
When we threw him up there in press coverage and some of the one-on-one stuff we would do in the spring, it was evident he's super talented. We believe he will be an elite corner. Those are strong words, but he has the ability to get on people and stay on people, and he's smart, and he's tough, and he's a good guy. We look forward to continue developing him for his career.
On Markel Bell filling in for Jalen Rivers at LT: Jalen's coming along, he's close to getting back, but a lot of faith in Markel. Markel has earned the opportunity to play, and he played well the other night. He got called for a holding, but that was a long, extended play that involved a lot of different angles. A tough situation for him, but he's powerful, he's athletic, he now has confidence. His teammates trust him, quarterbacks trust him, running backs trust him. Nothing but upside there. He's just gonna continue to get better and better and has a really bright future.
On Damari Brown and Ryan Rodriguez: Getting better. We're hopeful. We're always going to list those guys week-to-week with injuries. I can't say I'm going to be completely open and transparent. I won't come out blatantly and tell you something that's not true, but we’re gonna keep certain things close to the vest.
On Dyoni Hill: Fast, explosive guy. He's a really good tackler and he was one that was nagged by a couple things in camp. He came on strong, finally healed up, had a few plays the previous week at Florida. He played a bunch this week. We think the world of him. And he's got a couple years left as well, getting better and better, continued strength and conditioning and nutrition. Just a team guy. He did a great job on special teams, as well.
On Wesley Bissainthe: It is clicking for him. Player of the game. His natural instincts are on display because he is confident in the scheme and what he's doing. Now he can just play ball. He's not thinking anymore.
He was as low as 178, probably walked in at 185. Now, he's almost 230 pounds, sometimes over 230 pounds. He knows his stuff. He's in great, great shape. He is physical, so it's all coming together for him and it's fun to watch. He's worked really, really hard. He comes from an awesome family. Glad to get to watch him play and excel like he's doing.
On Isaiah Horton: Can’t say enough great things about that guy. That guy just worked. In a day and age where things are more transient, that guy just put his head down and kept working. He worked through some bumps, he worked through some difficult situations on the depth chart, and at the end sees himself being a significant contributor.
He's another one where the sky's the limit. Huge upside, big, strong, physical. Offense suits him really, really well. The position suits him really, really well. But he's got versatility as well. We haven't displayed it yet, but he does play inside. Obviously, he's been playing outside for us. He's gonna be a great one, he really is. He's done some great things so far, and he's a team guy, so super excited about him.
On Ball State: First thing that sticks out, their offensive line. Big, nasty, physical. Four or five returning starters, a ton of starts together. Just nasty. They get after you. They really, really do. The quarterback played a great game. They have explosive wide receivers, and they're a veteran offensive crew.
They have a lot of change over on defense, but you don't see a drop off on defense. You're looking at a team that, for the last half of their season last year, they allowed barely over 15 points a game. They fortified their roster with some transfers and some freshmen and some other guys that have been the program for a while. We studied them throughout the summer and we knew that this was gonna be a really good opponent coming into play. We're excited for the challenge there.
On Northern Illinois beating Notre Dame: You better learn your lessons by watching or listening, or you're gonna feel them. That's a reality. Here's the thing, guys: every team has good football players. If you don't really believe that, and you don't really train like that, there's going to come a Saturday, a Friday, a Thursday where you're going to be disappointed.
For us, the very best thing that we do is the way we practice and prepare. And it's led by the team. The best thing we have going for us is our culture. It allows us to be very blunt and real and right to the point and get to business. We made it very clear from the beginning, there are no easy games on our schedule. Whoever thinks that way will be disappointed one day. Stay hungry, stay driven. The most important game of the year is at 3:30 on Saturday, and we're looking forward to it.
On Chris Johnson: He’s an excellent player. Huge upside, gonna continue to be an excellent player, and gonna continue to increase his role. He's earned it. He has worked hard. He has made plays in practice. He has shown that he's dependable. He's got great ball security. He does not bust any plays. He knows what to do and how to do it. And he's an awesome teammate. He deserves it, and we're gonna make sure he gets it.
