The Miami Hurricanes’ undefeated season came to an end in South Bend on Saturday night, and head coach Mario Cristobal was not happy about how it happened.
The top-ranked Hurricanes fell 31-24 to No. 11 Notre Dame, but not before nearly pulling off a stunning comeback.
Trailing by seven with under four minutes left, Miami tight end Elija Lofton appeared to haul in the game-tying touchdown in the corner of the end zone on fourth-and-6.
Officials ruled it incomplete, and the call stood after a brief replay review. Cristobal let the officials have it after the game. However, that postgame rant could end up costing Miami more than just a game.
Cristobal Will Likely be Fined for Criticizing the Officials
Cristobal opened his postgame press conference fuming, saying Lofton had the ball “with two hands on the ball and two feet in bounds,” according to CBS Sports.
“I’m pissed off. It’s bulls***, and I’ll leave it at that,” Cristobal said.
When asked if the ACC crew gave him any explanation, Cristobal replied, “Zero.”
The problem for Cristobal is that the ACC doesn’t take kindly to coaches calling out its referees.
The ACC Sportsmanship Policy bans coaches from publicly criticizing or evaluating officials. Coaches are supposed to take officiating complaints directly to the conference office. The policy calls public criticism “not in the best interest of intercollegiate athletics.”
Just ask Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.
Last November, Swinney ripped a fourth-down pass interference call in a 46-45 loss to Duke, calling it “one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in a game.” The next day, the ACC issued Swinney a public reprimand and fined Clemson $10,000.
Swinney isn’t the only one. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi was reprimanded and Pitt was fined $5,000 in 2024 for criticizing the officials after a win over West Virginia, and those officials came from the Big 12. Former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher’s comments cost the school $20,000.
It’s also worth noting that Swinney tried to walk back his comments in the same press conference, much like Cristobal did. That didn’t save Clemson from the fine.
Swinney’s punishment came down the day after his rant. As of Sunday afternoon, the ACC had not announced any discipline for Cristobal.
ACC Refs Ripped on Social Media
Not everyone agreed with Cristobal’s criticism though.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay backed the officials on the broadcast, saying Lofton never finished the catch before Talich knocked the ball out.
Cristobal later walked back his tone, though not his opinion.
“I’m beyond upset, but that’s not the way to go here,” Cristobal said.
But there were some staunch supporters who had Cristobal’s back about the call, including former Ohio State running back turned CBS Sports analyst Beanie Wells.
“Absolutely [that was a touchdown],” Wells said. “How do you get things like that wrong in this day and age? They slowed it down for you, he got two feet in, he clearly has control of the ball — the guy swats the ball when he’s out of bounds. Like, what are we doing?” Wells said. “Absolutely (it’s definitive). This absolutely, unequivocally should be going to overtime. We should still be sitting in our chairs watching this matchup.
“When you really look at how this plays out, this is absolutely a catch. And I know every Miami Hurricanes player and fan should be ticked off. I’m right there with them.”
Mario Cristobal Could Face Harsh Punishment for What He Did After Miami-Notre Dame