More Miami players reflect: ‘We can’t turn our back on each other... Can’t run away from it’

The Miami Hurricanes are looking for reasons to celebrate, and four of them indicated Tuesday that they’re working hard to reverse their recent woes and get back to winning.

“It’s a new coaching staff,’’ said Colbie Young, a junior college transfer who was named the Atlantic Coast Conference receiver of the week after catching six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns at home in UM’s demoralizing 45-21 loss to Duke. “We had high expectations, but it’s still just the beginning. We’ve still got a lot of work. There’s still a lot of chemistry that can be built.

“I know the outside world expected a lot and we expected a lot and we’re not going to get off that path. We’re going to still keep trying to build this program to where it was.”

The Canes (3-4, 1-2 ACC), who had eight turnovers Saturday — the most by a Power 5 school since 2009 — travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to face the Virginia Cavaliers (3-4, 1-3) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Young, who had nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown the previous week at Virginia Tech, was asked if more people are recognizing him after two amazing games.

“A couple people,’’ he said, “but right now I’m really focused on getting back in practice and figuring out how we can carry this on to the next week and come back home with a win instead of having that feeling of a loss. It felt great being ACC Player of the Week, but it would have been 10 times better with a win.”

Young said his teammates must stick together no matter what happens. “We can’t turn our back on each other. ...We can’t run away from it. We can’t point fingers. Because once you point fingers it’s just going to start consistently happening.”

Leonard Taylor

Starting sophomore defensive tackle Leonard Taylor, who Pro Player Focus rated as UM’s top player last week and whose snap counts have consistently grown (96 total), said in late September after UM’s first loss to Texas A&M, that coach Mario Cristobal told the players they needed to stay bonded and not let one loss determine their future.

How have the players been dealing with morale at this point?

“Like Cristobal said, we just gotta stay together,’’ Taylor said. “We gotta keep working. We’re still a team at the end of the day. We’ve been through this before so we just gotta keep pushing and then we’ll get what we get.”

Taylor said his improvement has been the result of “locking in on the film’’ and “learning the keys to the game slowly. I’ve been getting extra work with [defensive line] Coach Joe [Salave’a]. He’s been teaching me the game a little more so I get a good understanding of it.

“I mean they say it a lot, like, ‘You gotta live in the facility if you want to go where you want to go.’ You gotta know your assignments and the team you’re playing. So we got extra film to know how the quarterback gonna do us, how the O-line will play us. Yeah.’’

Wesley Bissainthe

Freshman linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, another young Hurricane who has been playing better each week and getting more snaps because of it, said he doesn’t reflect much on the rough start. “We look forward to the next team,’’ said the 6-1, 210-pound Bissainthe, who graduated from Miami Central. “We just get back to work. We don’t really dwell on the losses and wins now.”

Bissainthe said being part of Cristobal’s process to rebuild the program is “most definitely a good thing.’’

“I believe in Coach Cristobal,’’ said Bissainthe, who has nine tackles in seven games and played 26 snaps against Duke, “and I believe he’s one of the biggest coaches, so I’m putting my trust in him. I see what he’s trying to do here. I have no doubts in Coach Cristobal and I’m just ready to go to work with him.

I’ve gotten stronger, I’ve gotten more physical. I’m not afraid to put my hands on O-linemen. Just thinking wise, the mental part of the game, I feel like I’ve gotten better with the plays. I feel like my game has upped another level and I’m just trying to build on it.”

Will Mallory

Fifth-year senior Will Mallory said the season “obviously is not going the way I envisioned or hoped.”

“But we still have got a lot of football left to play and we’ve got to finish strong and stay together,’’ said Mallory, who leads the team in receiving with 25 catches for 349 yards and a touchdown. “How I know this program is going to be successful is our head man, Coach Cristobal. I’ve got nothing but the utmost trust and faith in him and his vision and his blueprint with the staff he has here. That makes me feel good that I know we’ll be in good hands.”