Hurricanes Coach Speaks Out After Miami-Georgia Tech Catastrophe

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal oversaw one of the most dumbfounding decisions in recent college football history Saturday night against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Cristobal’s explanation behind Miami’s decision on third-and-10 with 33 seconds remaining in regulation left a lot to be desired.

“Not going to make an excuse for it, say we should’ve done this or that,” Cristobal told reporters after Miami’s eventual 23-20 defeat, per ESPN.

The Hurricanes had possession at the Georgia Tech 30-yard line and a 20-17 advantage with 33 ticks left. The Yellow Jackets did not have a timeout, meaning Miami could have taken a knee on third-and-10 and ran the clock out. Instead, the Hurricanes handed the ball off to running back Don Chaney Jr., who fumbled it only for Georgia Tech to recover.

The Yellow Jackets then covered 74 yards in four plays, capped off with Haynes King completing a 44-yard touchdown pass to Christian Leary.

Miami lost a game it was a kneel-down away from winning.

“That’s it. We should’ve done it,” Cristobal told reporters. “Sometimes you get carried away with just, finish the game and run it. I should’ve stepped in and said, ‘Hey, just take a knee.'”

Miami entered the game as a 19.5-point home favorite, per Action Network. The Yellow Jackets were 8-1 on the moneyline. BetMGM revealed Saturday that 66% of the spread bets and 57% of the moneyline handle were on the Hurricanes.