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Oct 5, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal walks on the field during a timeout in the second quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Miami Cristobal Opens Up About The 2024 Defense: 'We Lost Our Way Last Year'

Originally posted on Miami Hurricanes on SI
By Justice Sandle | Last updated May 19, 2025 12:26 PM ET

The Miami Hurricanes had the most promising and disappointing seasons in program history last year as Mario Cristobal opens up about the defense that cost them a chance at making the ACC Championship game and College Football Playoff.

Everyone knows that the defense of the Miami Hurricanes last year cost them a chance at competing for a national championship. They had "generational" offense, but defensively, those struggles hurt the team in more ways than one.

Mario Cristobal had a sit-down interview with college football analyst and media figure Josh Pate and noted that defensively, the team lost its way last season.

Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

"We lost our way last year," Cristobal said. "Because we opened the season playing really good defense. We communicated well, organized lined up well. We suffered a couple of injuries in an area where we weren't really deep but that shouldn't be the result after losing a couple of guys. We lost our way that's what happened, and it came in the form of communication alignment and assignment, which the simplicity of that makes you play fast. So we went from playing fast and physical to being uncertain and losing a step and playing slow and looking confused and it was painful because that's a generational offense. I mean that was made for TV type of stuff right there, and at the very en,d you know, again we're there."

Now, with a new system and a new coordinator, he knows that defensively, this team will be vastly improved because of the new personnel in place, like new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman.

"We recognize that, so we recruited this team to be a four-down aggressive defense," Cristobal said. "And in coach Heatherman actually you know and Ihate to compare people just saw a lot of what Miami saw in Greg Shiano back in 98-99 which was a guy who's not only a high level of knowledge level of expertise but a system that kicks ass. A system that's very aggressive, that communicates well, that's very sound, that is gives you very complicated looks on the back end, that disguises things well on the back end, and can play you in base, can play you with movement, can bring pressure, can simulate those pressures, and still create situations for the offense that are much more difficult. I think last year we were very easy to figure out, especially after game three and game four. I also love the fact that coach Heatherman is a tough ass son of a gun and he's exactly what we need."

With a defensively focused team and a run game that will gash through many defensive lines this season, the Hurricanes are a dark horse for a national championship this season. The season is nearly here. Sunday. August 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Hurricanes will be ready for Notre Dame as they prepare to start a legendary season after squandering what was last year's chance.