A year after Georgia Tech debacle, No. 4 Miami managing itself well

In lieu of revisiting arguably the most embarrassing moment of his coaching life, Mario Cristobal played coy Monday.

Then again, coy beats cringing. Thirteen months after his team's season became unglued when his offense failed to go into victory formation with a three-point lead in the waning seconds against Georgia Tech, Cristobal had this exchange with a reporter.

Reporter: "Last season obviously didn't end well against Georgia Tech (a 23-20 Hurricanes loss) . Is there anything that you're going to apply differently for this season?"

Cristobal: "In terms of what exactly?"

Reporter: "Of just learning from last season's game."

Cristobal: "In terms of what exactly?"

Reporter: "I just think of the play-calling towards the end. ... I guess the approach for this weekend's game."

Cristobal: "We approach every game the way we approach every single game: 1-0 mentality, prepare really hard and play our best football."

With that, Cristobal sidestepped one of the greatest debacles in Miami football history. The meltdown remains a primer — or parody — on late-game management.

The Hurricanes, then 4-0, had a three-point lead and possession in the final minute against Georgia Tech — which had no more timeouts — at Hard Rock Stadium. Instead of having quarterback Tyler Van Dyke take a knee and run out the clock, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson ordered a handoff to Donald Chaney Jr., who fumbled at the Yellow Jackets' 26-yard line with 26 seconds remaining.

Four plays later, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King rolled right and found Christian Leary behind the Miami secondary for a game-winning 44-yard touchdown with one second to play.

"Should've just told 'em to take a knee, take a timeout right there," Cristobal said immediately afterward. "Recalibrate and just take a knee."

More than a year after that nationally-lampooned gaffe, Cristobal has, in fact, recalibrated.

Presumably to avoid repeating such debacles, he announced shortly before the 2024 season opener that he had added a time-management coach to his staff. Perhaps not coincidentally, the fourth-ranked 'Canes (9-0, 5-0 ACC) have evolved into one of the nation's most efficient teams. They enter Saturday's rematch against the Jackets (5-4, 3-3) ranked third nationally in average time of possession (34:02).

"It's been kind of the process always," said Cristobal, who hasn't identified the staffer serving in that role. "It's just a little bit more, I would say, visible and present, but it's the same processes, and it's constant interaction so that there's a fail-safe. There's no holes, there's no loopholes in the process."

And no late-game lapses, at least so far. During their ascension to the No. 4 spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings , the 'Canes have established themselves as equal parts proficient (nation-best 47.4 points a game) and prudent.

Miami successfully executed three kneel-downs in the final 54 seconds at Louisville to preserve a 52-45 triumph. Two weeks before, when they rallied from a 25-point second-half deficit at California , they still had all three of their timeouts entering their game-winning touchdown drive. The three TD drives preceding it all covered 70 yards, but none lasted longer than 5:04.

In a 38-34 win against Virginia Tech on Sept. 27, when a would-be winning Hokies touchdown pass on the final play was ruled incomplete, the 'Canes still had two timeouts on that final Hokies possession to set up their defense.

"(It's) a lot of different areas that probably don't make it to the media in terms of trying to gain an extra possession, trying to diffuse an extra possession for the other side, trying to save your timeouts in case you're in an opportunity to get a possession back," Cristobal explained regarding his time-management coach.

"All the scenarios have played out just about for the most part how we wanted it to. And it's been a lot of diligence with a lot of people working hard."

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