Mario Cristobal, Ryan Day working to keep teams focused despite Cotton Bowl amenities

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Ryan Day is familiar with the pomp and circumstance surrounding the College Football Playoff.

Day has coached his team to the playoffs in five of his eight seasons as Ohio State’s coach, culminating in his first national championship last year. His opponent in Wednesday’s Cotton Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinal, UM coach Mario Cristobal, is treading new water with his team. The Hurricanes are in the playoff for the first time.

So Day knows how to coach his team through all the distractions surrounding neutral-site playoff games. Cristobal is learning.

“I think the schedule handles that,” Cristobal said Tuesday. “I mean, these guys are up early. They’re always in either a meeting, lifting, conditioning, practicing, or watching film, or getting some extra work in as it relates to preparation. And I think, of course, during their little free time, that’s when your senior or your upper-class leadership certainly has to take over and make sure things are done the right way.”

Day, the playoff veteran, concurred.

“I agree,” Day said. “I think when you get guys into their routine, they’re able to focus and concentrate more on their preparation. And that is a challenge, though, when you go to a different environment like this, is to avoid the distractions, and that’s a big emphasis point.”

Day, Cristobal recall long-ago matchup

Cristobal and Day were prompted with a surprising question at their joint press conference on Tuesday: Do they remember the first time they coached against each other?

The matchup was in 2003. Cristobal was the offensive line coach at Rutgers under Greg Schiano. Day was a graduate assistant under Tom O’Brien at Boston College.

“Did we win?” Day asked Tuesday.

Day did win that game, with his Eagles beating Cristobal’s Scarlet Knights 35-25 on Nov. 15, 2003.

“I don’t remember that,” Day said. “A lot of that time was a blur.”

Said Cristobal: “Well, it was really cold, I could certainly say.”

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