GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Mario Cristobal returned to South Florida to find his alma mater in disarray.
A national powerhouse during Cristobal's playing days, Miami had slipped out of prominence for the better part of 20 years, a handful of losing seasons sprinkled with mid-level bowl appearances.
Cristobal's goal when he was hired was to recreate a winning culture, put the Hurricanes in the mix for national championships again. Four years later, the Hurricanes will
play for their first national championship since 2001 — in their home stadium, no less.
“It’s a reflection of our players and their DNA and the way that they’re wired, how they came into the program and how they’ve continued to develop and evolve,” Cristobal said after Miami's 31-27 win over Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl Thursday night. “It almost seems like the tougher it gets, the better we play. And it’s a testament to them, to their resilience and their will.”
One of Cristobal's first steps after being lured away from Oregon in 2021 was to make Miami again a destination for top recruits and transfers, something he had done with the Ducks. The former offensive lineman who won two national championships with the Hurricanes also wanted to re-instill a winning culture, adding physicality and discipline to the program.
Miami has been on a steady climb since Cristobal's hiring, increasing its win total every year until this season’s 13 wins — and counting.
With the win over Ole Miss at the Fiesta Bowl, the Hurricanes will be the first team in the BCS/CFP era (since 1998) to play a national championship in their home stadium. Miami will face top-ranked Indiana or No. 5 Oregon in the Jan. 19 title game.
“What an unbelievable year,” Miami quarterback Carson Beck said. “It was never easy. It was never perfect. There were a lot of ups and downs. There was a lot of adversity that not only I faced individually, but that we faced as a team. We really banded together and showed that we believe in connection, that we just don’t fake it.”
Beck has been a big part of Miami's run from No. 10 College Football Playoff seed to the national championship game.
The sixth-year quarterback started his career at Georgia, winning a national championship as a backup before two highly-productive seasons as a starter. After a knee injury knocked him out of the playoffs last season, he looked at declaring for the NFL before opting to play at Miami.
The Hurricanes are sure glad he did.
Beck was instrumental in the Hurricanes earning an at-large CFP bid and played a huge role in their Fiesta Bowl. He threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns with an interception — on a tipped pass — and orchestrated the game-winning drive behind Miami's massive offensive line after Ole Miss took the lead with three minutes left.
Beck took it in himself for the winning score, scrambling to the right for a 3-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds left. He's 36-5 as a starter.
“He’s hungry, he’s driven, he’s a great human being, and all he wants to do is to see his teammates have success,” Cristobal said. “And that’s what we witnessed tonight.”
Miami's defense certainly has played its part.
The Hurricanes were middle of the FBS pack defensively last season, but took huge strides under first-year coordinator Corey Hetherman. Miami allowed the fewest points per game since the 2001 national championship team — fourth nationally — and was 11th in the FBS in total yards allowed.
The Hurricanes gave up 398 yards in the Fiesta Bowl, but forced Ole Miss to kick five field goals — four makes — and made one last stand in the closing seconds after the Rebels reached Miami's 35.
“It’s the simplicity of these guys,” Cristobal said. "They know exactly who they are, and they know what it took to get us to this point and they were not settling for getting to this point just to get here. They weren’t going to let anything get in the way."
Now the Hurricanes are headed back to Miami after playing five straight games away from home, one last hurdle in their way on the path to a national title.
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