Miami Offensive Starters
QB #9 Tyler Van Dyke, RB #4 Jaylan Knighton, WR #8 Frank Ladson, Jr., WR #88 Colbie Young, WR #7 Xavier Restrepo, TE #85 Will Mallory, LT #74 John Campbell, Jr., LG #50 Laurance Seymore, C #53 Jakai Clark, RG #73 Anez Cooper, RT #51 DJ Scaife, Jr.
Miami Defensive Starters
DL #45 Mitchell Agude, DL #6 Darrell Jackson, Jr., DL #56 Leonard Taylor III, DL #90 Akheem Mesidor, STAR #23 Te’Cory Couch, LB #40 Caleb Johnson, LB #31 Wesley Bissainthe, CB #8 DJ Ivey, S #24 Kam Kinchens, S #0 James Williams, CB #2 Tyrique Stevenson
HALFTIME NOTES:
PITTSBURGH 28, MIAMI 0
HARD ROCK STADIUM • MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. • NOVEMBER 26, 2022
TEAM & GENERAL NOTES
• Miami Starters:
Offense: QB #9 Tyler Van Dyke, RB #4 Jaylan Knighton, WR #8 Frank Ladson, Jr., WR #88 Colbie Young, WR #7 Xavier Restrepo, TE #85 Will Mallory, LT #74 John Campbell, Jr., LG #50
Laurance Seymore, C #53 Jakai Clark, RG #73 Anez Cooper, RT #51 DJ Scaife, Jr.
Defense: DL #45 Mitchell Agude, DL #6 Darrell Jackson, Jr., DL #56 Leonard Taylor III, DL #90 Akheem Mesidor, STAR #23 Te’Cory Couch, LB #40 Caleb Johnson, LB #31 Wesley Bissainthe,
CB #8 DJ Ivey, S #24 Kam Kinchens, S #0 James Williams, CB #2 Tyrique Stevenson
• Team captains Saturday were #90 Akheem Mesidor, #94 Lou Hedley, #51 DJ Scaife, Jr., #24 Kam Kinchens, #85 Will Mallory
OFFENSIVE TEAM & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• TE Will Mallory had four catches for 75 yards in the first half, including a season-long 39-yard reception.
• QB Tyler Van Dyke started and finished the first drive 4-for-8 for 83 yards. He exited the game due to an injury.
• RB Henry Parrish led the Hurricanes with 32 first-half rushing yards on six attempts.
DEFENSIVE TEAM & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• DL Leonard Taylor III had his first career takeaway on an interception in the second quarter.
• DB James Williams led Miami with six first-half tackles. LB Caleb Johnson added four tackles (all solo).
SPECIAL TEAMS TEAM & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• P Lou Hedley averaged 46.8 yards on four punts, with a long punt of 52 yards. He landed two punts inside the Pitt 20-yard line.
Miami Hurricanes Football: Miami HC Mario Cristobal
Postgame Press Conference Transcripts: Pittsburgh
Sat., Nov. 26, 2022
Hard Rock Stadium
Opening Statement…
“Good evening, I appreciate you waiting around. It was a disappointing night for us. We really wanted to win for our program and for our seniors. I always have to take full responsibility as a head coach and as an organization. We started off slow and obviously it didn’t go well. I appreciate the effort from the second-half guys trying to make something happen, but not nearly enough.”
On the locker room after the game…
“The first thing is, you have to acknowledge the seniors because, even though it is a painful night, there are guys who have been in there for four and five years, some three years, some just got here and some who have been through a lot, a lot of change. Some have been through injuries and some guys were on the sidelines on crutches and on wheelies, or whatever those things are, and you always want great things for them in terms of the way it ends. It’s important to acknowledge and thank those guys, so that was the first message, the fact that those guys deserve that from every player so that every player goes and sees those guys and thanks them. And then, after that was the reality that setting a standard comes with laying a foundation and sometimes it is really painful and that is where we are. The standards that we set are high and they are to be uncompromised and they will continue to be uncompromised. And we will set them higher and higher each and every year and we’ve got to work to get to there. There’s no way around it. There’s no fluff and there is no sugar-coating it. We’re not there now and, certainly, we’ve got work to do.”
On quarterback Tyler Van Dyke…
“Again, I know it sounds like a broken record, but the last time, he was healthy, he practiced well and he was cleared medically and you check that 10 times over to make sure, but it was something that was really painful for him, after he had taken that shot on the interception. So, was it frustrating? Yes. Obviously, you saw what a good player he is and it has been painful not having him for a good part of the season. But you have confidence and faith in your other guys and you do everything you possibly can to generate some points and some yards, but we didn’t do a good enough job at all. And we put a lot of pressure on the defense, they were busting their butts.”
On the hit on Tyler Van Dyke…
“I couldn’t tell you. We were moving pretty quickly with a sudden change. I did not get to see it. I saw it live and it just looked like part of ball, so I don’t know. I know that it was critically important to protect him and they were bringing cover zero so there was going to be somebody free with what we called there, trying to get the ball to the tight end, so it’s a race to get it off and avoid the hit and we didn’t do a good enough job.”
On the coming weeks…
“Coming in, the plan was always the plan. It always was trying to make sure you do everything possible to win a game. That’s why you lay a foundation and not compromise anything. You know you starting point now. You know where you’re at in different spots and at different positions. You know the areas that need massive improvements and the other ones that showed improvement. You know from a personnel standpoint what you need to go get and accessing it whatever way possible – high school, junior college, transfer portal, whatever it may be. The portal is a two-way street, in and out, both. Those are conversations that you always have and you are always very respectful about, you know, your roster and the moves that need to be made. The work never stops and the level of commitment and effort and resiliency that goes with it will be unmatched.”
On evaluating the staff at the end of the season…
“Like I have every single year, by what we do and how we do it as it relates to everything – performance on the field, performance off the field, performance in recruiting – that’s how you evaluate your staff.”
On how to get the program to the desired level…
“You reassess everything. I understand the questions and the way they are directed, and moves are always discussed privately. I don’t make the business of our organization, as it relates to anything and everything, public. It’s just not respectful, so, in terms of us, in terms of what I see it as, I think I had a pretty fair idea coming in, some of it a little bit better and some of it not as good, but that’s in terms of assessment, not judgment. I think there are a lot of guys who have tried really, really hard and then some other areas where we just have to get a whole lot better. Our roster certainly has to get deeper. The way that we coach has got to get better. We’ve had success at the different places we’ve been at but it didn’t translate in year one over here. Some of that is expected and some of the other stuff we can do better, so everything is always assessed at the end of the year and it’s done professionally. It’s done carefully and meticulously. It’s not done shooting from the hip and stuff of that nature. Everything is really looked into deep and making sure that we are doing the right thing and the best that we can possibly do by the players and the program.”
On the quarterback group…
“We used three because one got hurt for the majority of six games. We saw that there is a lot of promise in both of those guys. I mean, Jake [Garcia] has tremendous guts and he made some unbelievable throws tonight. And, Jacurri [Brown], you saw what he could do when we played over at Georgia Tech, as well. You have a lot of film to assess and evaluate. Even more so than that, you watch guys every single day in the locker room and in practice and you make your assessments and your judgments and your decisions based on that, as well. That describes it pretty much.”
On the future of Tyler Van Dyke…
“That’s a discussion with Tyler, his family and myself, to be respectful of him and his family.”
On the evaluation of Year 1…
“Well, we didn’t accomplish our goal of being in the postseason, so, obviously, we didn’t live up to our own expectation. You know, it’s hard because we’ve all been in the postseason for the last decade or so as a head coach or as an assistant coach, so, in taking on this situation, we had nothing but excitement and, for me, it’s nothing but drive and determination going froward. I don’t get fazed or flustered by what needs to be done. This is some work to do now. It’s important to assess reality, right? It’s important to look at exactly each and every position and performance and everything that goes with it and what needs to be done to improve it and elevate a program. That is what rebuilding a program is all about and this is rebuilding a program. We do not need to kid ourselves and pretend that this program has built. This program has had to be rebuilt, whether that be from a recruiting standpoint, a schematic standpoint, culture standpoint, toughness standpoint, resiliency standpoint. There’s no need to BS ourselves, we ain’t going to do that. We have to get to work with tough-minded people, talented and tough-minded people and, you know what, that is uncomfortable for some people and that’s alright. There’s no flinching here.”
On the process of meeting with the players…
“The process is normal every year, we meet with every single player. Remember, that the portal, as I mentioned earlier, is a two-way street and not every player is asked to return. I understand from a media standpoint, you guys have to go with what you feel you hear or you feel is what it is. Not everybody is asked to return.”
On the message to the recruits and fans…
“The reality is that this is what we do and what we are very, very good at and that the starting point is what it is and there are some really good foundation blocks that are already set. There are some really good players, a small core of players that are tough, that are talented and who want to be really great. I thought Kamren Kinchens said it best in the locker room as he left. He called up everybody and told them how much he loved them and that we are going to get it done and anyone that can’t or doesn’t want to be a part of that, move fast and get out of the way. That’s what it takes. That’s what it’s taken at Miami every single time. Every single time Miami has been rebuilt or our last couple of stops along the way. And that’s what it is going to take, no fluff, no proclamations, no declarations, no tweets. We just have to get back to work and we have to make sure that we continue to develop and fill the roster with the right people, high-caliber, tough-minded guys and make sure that we are doing the right things as coaches. We have to take it together. It’s an entire job as a program, starting with myself. That’s what leaders are supposed to do – own it, eat it, grow from it and go get better. Miami will be a championship program.”
Miami Hurricanes Football: Pittsburgh HC Pat Narduzzi
Postgame Press Conference Transcripts: Pittsburgh
Sat., Nov. 26, 2022
Hard Rock Stadium
On the win today and what this win means for their program…
“This was great for our kids. They wanted this one bad. Our seniors wanted this one bad. Our kids played really good. Offensively, it was clicking on all cylinders—the run game and the pass game were outstanding. Defensively, we started off with those turnovers. And unfortunately we didn’t score with them, but it really did change the game early with that. They went through three quarterbacks on the other side. Our kids just played well. I’m fired up for our seniors. Next Sunday, I guess we’ll find out where we’re going bowling.”
On overcoming the 4-4 start to finish with eight wins…
“That’s what we do. My hat goes off to our coaches and our players. Our coaches do a great job of coaching. We talk about consistency. We didn’t coach this team this week, Thanksgiving week—it doesn’t matter—any different than we did in the opener against West Virginia. We just stayed consistent. We grind, we work our tails off and our kids just continue to get better and believe. We had a couple of rough games there. Like I said, this team should be a 10-win football team, really, if we don’t turn the ball over. We just had some things not go our way. We had a good football team, we had a great staff. I couldn’t be happier for our kids. our seniors deserve this one and I’m happy for that locker room.”
On if this was the most complete win of the season…
“I would think this one was. I mean, that’s a good football team out there. I don’t care what their record is, you go out there and look what they look like; they’ve got some great players. They didn’t play like our guys played—we played better than they did—but they’ve got a lot of talent on that field, both sides of the ball. Our kids bowed up and played like we thought they could.”
On senior Tylar Wiltz and what he means to the program…
“Tylar is a good football player. That was a really good get out of the transfer portal and he’s such a great kid. I mean, he’s not a problem at all. As a matter of fact, Bangally [Kamara] last week, talk about unselfish, Tylar was a senior and Bangally was supposed to start and he said, ‘I want him to start,’ and gave his start up. That’s what Tylar means. He’s come right in and from the day he got here, he’s bonded with our kids. I’m happy for what he’s done.”
On wide receiver Jared Wayne’s 199-yard performance tonight…
“He’s stepped up in a big way and he had a great game today. Besides that fumble there, which he has to tuck it away, some of those big catches he had early some of those RPOs that we hadn’t done in a few weeks. We kind of laid off those for a while and tried to surprise them with those. But Jared was money today, catching the ball. Kedon [Slovis] put it right where it needed to be, as well.”
On having two players back to receive the punt returns tonight…
“Their punter [Lou Hedley] inspired that. He’s rugby. If you run to the right and he’s kicking it to the left and the ball rolls 67 yards, that was a good punt team today, so we had to put two back there just to secure the ball. We muffed it one time, but putting two back there helps us protect the field position.”
On the consistency of Israel Abanikanda…
“He’s a football player. He’s got great speed, he’s got great vision, he’s so tough and strong. He gets a lot of yards on his own. Obviously, the offensive line did a great job all year. I mean, you don’t do it by yourself. It’s the tight ends, receivers, who had some great blocks as well. He’s a football player.”
