Miami fans were not the only ones who were frustrated during the Hurricanes’ loss to SMU.

ESPN cameras caught offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson yelling and gesturing at head coach Mario Cristobal. On his weekly Monday morning interview on WQAM’s The Joe Rose Show, Cristobal said there was no deep meaning to the conversation late in the loss.

“There’s nothing to read into. There is no narrative,” Cristobal said. “Coach Dawson was fired up and wanted us to hit that hole harder. And I always tell him, ‘Man, keep calling you game, keep calling your game.’ And that’s it. That’s the entirety of it.

“There is no narrative. There is no B.S. there. And as you well know, I don’t B.S. And I thought he was fired up in a good way. He was trying to call the best game he could. And that’s it as it relates to that.”

Dawson is in his third season as Cristobal’s offensive coordinator and called the No. 1 offense in the country last season, but UM is ranked 44th in points per game this season.

Shannon Dawson isnt happy.

I think he’s saying Brown has to hit the hole. pic.twitter.com/afOEfMYp0P

— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) November 1, 2025

Cristobal ‘disappointed’ with late penalty call

A crucial moment in Saturday’s loss was when edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot was called for unnecessary roughness on the Mustangs’ game-tying drive near the end of the fourth quarter.

Lightfoot hit SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings after officials blew the play dead because UM had called a timeout before the play. Cristobal said Lightfoot didn’t hear the whistle and he kept going because other players kept playing, too.

“Really frustrating because for us. Obviously, (calling a timeout gives) the opportunity to see what a team is trying to run on fourth down,” Crstobal said. “They’re going to run their A play. Game’s on the line. You could use a timeout. You could see what personnel, what formation they’re in to try to run their best play, to try to keep the game going, win the game and give your guys a chance — especially your best pass rushers — an opportunity to catch their breath, to be able to let it rip on fourth down.

“And during the play, everybody’s engaged, everybody’s blocking. The guards and D-tackles are totally going at it. I know there’s a collision there, but there wasn’t an attempt to knock somebody out or anything of that nature. So really disappointed that a game with things on the line like that was allowed to be officiated in that manner. But it is what it is. No excuses, and we move on.”

Horrible officiating here. Pass rush starting under belief play is on, and he tries to hold him as he finally realizes.

pic.twitter.com/mEUCdvdHRn https://t.co/lK7PJOIS1H

— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) November 1, 2025

Lashlee denies players were causing UM penalties

Of Miami’s 12 penalties in their loss to the Mustangs, eight were on the offensive line. Of those eight, five were procedural penalties before the snap.

After Saturday’s game, Cristobal said SMU was causing issues by mimicking Miami’s cadence — a frequent complaint Cristobal has levied at opponents this year, but one only sometimes called by referees.

“The verbal stuff, we had some issues with their stems and movements,” Cristobal said. “We tried to report when our cadence is being mimicked, but that didn’t get any traction. And it is what it is — that happens in football. So no excuses there. Not enough discipline as it relates to just holding our water in and not jumping offsides.”

SMU coach — and former UM offensive coordinator — Rhett Lashlee denied the Mustangs were doing anything against the rules.

“No snap counts were mimicked (confirmed by the obvious zero flags called for it) — however — that Ford Stadium crowd was rocking all day!” Lashlee wrote on social media. “Drawing multiple false starts and delay of games and timeouts! Thank you, Mustang Family! You were the difference yesterday! Our players fed off you! Let’s continue to make Ford Stadium a hard place to play!”

No snap counts were mimicked (confirmed by the obvious zero flags called for it) – however – that Ford Stadium crowd was rocking all day!!! Drawing multiple False starts and delay of games and timeouts! Thank you Mustang Family!! You were the difference yesterday! Our players…

— Rhett Lashlee (@rhettlashlee) November 2, 2025

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/03/um-cristobal-notes/