Miami head coach Mario Cristobal called an interaction with his counterpart from Syracuse, Fran Brown, overblown. Brown stated Miami was about to quit with the game scoreless in the first half. Cristobal told the Joe Rose Show on WQAM on Monday morning that Miami didn't look like it was quitting at 38-3.
Miami scored a touchdown on a pass from wide receiver Malachi Toney to quarterback Carson Beck with 2:13 remaining in the first half to break a scoreless tie and take a 7-0 lead. Defensive back Keionte Scott returned an interception 38 yards for a TD 23 seconds after Beck scored to extend the Miami lead to 14-0.
The interaction between Brown and Cristobal occurred with 3:05 remaining in the second quarter. Brown was near the Miami sideline during a stoppage in play. It is not known what the exchange between Brown and Cristobal referenced.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck completed a 41-yard pass on a bubble screen to Daylyn Upshaw immediately preceding the exchange between Brown and Cristobal. The conversation between the two head coaches was brief as the head linesman stood between Brown and Cristobal to prevent it from getting heated.
Mario Cristobal spoke about Fran Brown’s comments this morning on the Joe Rose Show, where Brown said “Miami was about to quit.” pic.twitter.com/S7x6OxwCqv
— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) November 10, 2025
"It's just competitive. It is football. Just play ball and let the players play…The talk game is cheap. It didn't look like a quitting bunch at 38-3…I don't do the talking…I was raised to handle things the right way in person and the talk game is cheap. That deal was overblown…Go Canes.""UM HC Mario Cristobal via Inside the U
Miami earned a sense of retribution for a 42-38 loss in 2024 that cost the Hurricanes a berth in the ACC Championship Game. Miami led Syracuse 21-0 during the 2023 game. The two late first-half scores sparked Miami. Miami scored on four of its first five drives of the second half to take a 38-3 lead.
Syracuse scored a touchdown with 21 seconds remaining to make the final deficit 38-10. Brown said after the game, "(Mario) Cristobal and his staff did a really good job. They just played really good football. They played really good, clean football for 60 minutes, and it was a pleasure and honor to be able to play against those guys.”