Mario Cristobal finally has a signature win at Miami.
His Hurricanes pulled off an upset win in Week 1, topping No. 6 Notre Dame 27–24. Miami had a two-touchdown lead and allowed the Irish back into it, but a late drive led by new quarterback Carson Beck and a 47-yard field goal from Carter Davis gave Cristobal's squad a huge win.
After the game, the 54-year-old head coach was fired up. ESPN's Taylor McGregor caught him coming off the field, and he had a lot to say about the rivalry and what the win meant, while pointing out former Hurricanes stars in the crowd.
"I mean, I played in this rivalry. Look at Michael Irvin, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, all the ones that made this rivalry what it was," Cristobal said. "Look at the way Hard Rock is rockin'. Miami. Hurricanes. Football."
When asked what he told Davis before the game-winning field goal, he replied, "Make the damn kick. That's all." He also praised Beck in his first start for the program.
Mario Cristobal postgame interview pic.twitter.com/fM8U0KUIGZ
— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) September 1, 2025
It was a huge win for Miami as a program and for Cristobal personally. He is now in his fourth season coaching at his alma mater and has yet to take the program back to contender status. He entered the season 22-16 during his time in charge. The Hurricanes went 10-3 in 2024 but didn't beat a ranked team and lost to No. 18 Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl to end the season.
This is Cristobal's best win at Miami and its no surprise he's that excited about it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mario Cristobal Was Fired Up After Miami’s Upset Win Over Notre Dame.
