Miami head coach Mario Cristobal discussed his viral reaction involving an assistant coach near the end of the Hurricanes’ 31-27 win over Ole Miss in a College Football Playoff semifinal battle at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.
“Yesterday was one of our coaches, I’m like, ‘What the ‘F’ are you doing, brother?’ We’ve got 18 seconds left in that game with the most dangerous player with the ball in his hands, so not the right time,” Cristobal explained during a Friday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
After Miami scored a go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game, an assistant came up behind Cristobal and hugged him. The Hurricanes head coach wasn’t interested in celebrating until the clock fully expired, though.
The Rebels completed a few quick passes to get to Miami’s 35-yard line on their final drive, but a last-second throw into the end zone by Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss ultimately fell incomplete.
Cristobal’s hesitation to celebrate was understandable, as Chambliss put together an impressive CFP run. He completed 67.9 percent of his throws for 921 yards and four touchdowns without getting picked off in three playoff games, adding two more scores on the ground.
Still, Miami was able to punch its ticket to the national championship game and will now compete for the team’s sixth national title.
