‘We can’t do that’: Mario Cristobal on defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s costly penalty in North Carolina loss
A week after the Hurricanes made a costly coaching mistake by refusing to take a knee to run out the clock, Miami had another coaching error that helped their opponent in their loss to UNC on Saturday.
The Hurricanes got a third-down stop and were trying to substitute defenders for North Carolina’s fourth-down attempt when Lance Guidry ran onto the field. That drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving the Tar Heels a fresh set of downs.
Three plays later, UNC running back Omarion Hampton scored a 2-yard, game-tying touchdown. The Tar Heels went on to win by 10 points.
“He made an error. He made a mistake,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said on WQAM’s The Joe Rose Show Monday morning. “The timeout already had been called. We were having discussions with the officials about sitting on the ball when they substitute, and it was all about that. But obviously, we can’t do that. There’s no excuse for it. He knows that and obviously, he feels terrible about it.”
Guidry appeared to be trying to call timeout while the Hurricanes were substituting players on defense. He ran onto the field while an official stood over the ball, allowing UM to substitute.
“It’s no different than a player error,” Cristobal said. “You’ve got to eat all those, take accountability for them.”
After surrendering 41 points to North Carolina this weekend, Miami’s defense under Guidry ranks 67th in the nation with 26.8 points allowed per game. Entering their game against the high-powered Tar Heels, they had surrendered just 14.6 points per game.
“The guy’s been awesome,” Cristobal said.
Check back later for more updates.