Miami coach Mario Cristobal pushed back Tuesday on social media claims that quarterback Carson Beck "threw a teammate under the bus" after the Hurricanes' 24-21 loss to Louisville, saying the program has "no place" for finger-pointing and that accountability is shared in the locker room.
"Again, that doesn't exist here, because it's not part of the culture and just not allowed... the entire team has complete clarity that every coach, every player, everybody takes every win and every loss together."Mario Cristobal
The dust-up stemmed from Beck's postgame explanation of his fourth interception, a game-sealing throw in the final minute. Beck said there was a miscommunication on the route against pressure, a comment that was clipped and widely shared as evidence he blamed tight end Elija Lofton.
Cristobal, asked about the reaction during his Monday media availability, said he hadn't tracked the online debate but emphasized that Miami's internal standard doesn't allow for assigning blame publicly or privately. "There is no hint or inkling of any blame being passed around to anybody in our room, our locker room, or our building." Cristobal's comments aren't the only one from a coach as OC Shannon Dawson took a majority of the blame for the performance of Beck. That was perhaps the best example of what Cristobal was referring to: everybody being held accountable while not casting blame to others in the locker room.
Beck had a rough night, finishing 25 of 35 for 271 yards with four interceptions as the second-ranked Hurricanes fell at home last Friday. Louisville's defense produced the decisive interception with 32 seconds remaining.
Miami (5-1, 1-1 ACC) now moves into a critical two-week stretch that will shape its conference standing without the benefit of head-to-head games against fellow contenders Virginia and Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes host Stanford on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET before visiting SMU on Nov. 1.