Mario Cristobal believes the best way to win football games on Saturday is to win the battles at practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. It took a while for that vision to take shape, but look at where the Hurricanes are now.
MIami proved last year that it was ready for the moment. The Hurricanes beat Texas A&M in a pure battle rolyale at College Station and then stomped out Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. They proved they could win in a shootout by knocking off Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl before coming up a few plays short against Indiana.
The goal in 2026 is to finish the job and Josh Pate believes it can get done because Cristobal makes it tough on his team during the week so they can reap the rewards on the weekend.
An interesting commentary on M. Cristobal from @JoshPateCFB . That playoff run has done a ton for his reputation as a head coach. The #canes are lucky to have him
— Steve Kim - the Thomas Sowell of Boxing (@SteveKim323) March 20, 2026
The TRUTH About Mario Cristobal at Miami - Josh Pate's College Football ... https://t.co/GbMyhUSWqJ via @YouTube
"Their practices are more physical than their games are, specifically on Tuesday and Wednesday," Pate said. "Everybody wants to do that and most people are just afraid to practice that way because of injury concerns and because of the lack of depth."
Mario Cristobal's belief in hard practice could make Miami perfect
You hear coaches complain about the lack of hard practices all the time, especially after losses, but most of them are scared to make the changes. They are afraid that the top players will leave their program, or they will suffer too many injuries and stretch out their quality depth.
But Cristobal's fear of losing because he puts a soft team out on the field is far greater than his fear of losing games. That's why an All-American wide receiver like Malachi Toney isn't afraid to put his shoulder pad down and deliver a block on an inside run play.Â
When Miami was the toughest team on the field in 2025, the Hurricanes won, and when they didn't commit to that level of toughness, like loafing on a block punt protection, it cost them a championship.Â
Cristobal experienced the hard practices at Miami as a player and, as a coach at Alabama, he watched how Nick Saban challenged his team during the week, so they could dominate opponents on the weekend. The players that are recruited by Miami out of high school or through the portal know that if they want to reach the ultimate goal, they will have to walk through the fire. And they wouldn't have it any other way/Â