Mario Cristobal has been hammering discipline—not just in the penalty column. During his Monday availability earlier this month, he called Miami’s football team flag problem “unacceptable,” noting how penalties disrupt rhythm and can be fatal against good teams.
With a bye-week window to reset, the message was clear: clean up the details and enforce accountability from the top down, according to On3’s Grant Stubbs. The point was simple—avoidable mistakes cannot be part of the journey.
“We felt Akheem was really close,” Cristobal said. “We felt all week he was gonna be there, and then sometimes you can present yourself with an opportunity to play a player, and then the medical staff has to calculate what type of risk is involved. Can we set him back? Is this a guy who can be a full-speed player with another couple of days?”
The head coach outlined the decision-making process that kept defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor from suiting up against Stanford, deferring to medical guidance on reinjury risk and whether the veteran could operate at full speed with added rest, per On3.
Cristobal’s explanation aligns with the broader emphasis on precision and process. The choice to sit Mesidor wasn’t about caution for caution’s sake; it was about preventing a “really close” status from turning into a setback and ensuring that when he returns, he will be a full-speed contributor.
In the same way the Miami football team has stressed eliminating self-inflicted wounds, the coaching staff treated player availability as a strategic variable—not a gamble.
Leadership optics around the program have also been in the spotlight. After a loss to Louisville, former NFL MVP Cam Newton cautioned Miami quarterback Carson Beck regarding postgame comments that referenced miscommunication and a receiver running the wrong route. Newton’s on-air advice was to take the high road and avoid throwing teammates under the bus, highlighting that public messaging matters when you’re the face of the offense.
Beck had thrown for 271 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions that night and described the play as a “perfect” call derailed by a route mix-up, according to CBS Sports.
Taken together, the Miami football team’s recent focus on tightening discipline, managing health conservatively, and minding the message all reflect the same core principle Cristobal keeps repeating: control what you can control, and don’t beat yourself.
https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-football/miami-football-news-mario-cristobal-explains-decision-hold-mesidor-out-vs-stanford
