“No Tomorrow.” “No Magic Wand.” Must-read quotes from the Indiana-Miami title matchup

MIAMI, Fla. (WDRB) — At a national championship game, you hear everything and absorb almost nothing. Everyone is talking. Nobody is whispering. And in the end, most of it winds up as audio confetti.

But scattered in the noise are moments of clarity, lines that reveal something about the game, the moment, or the men living it.

These didn’t make it into a story. But they tell one anyway.

Here are 20 voices from Indiana and Miami that help paint a picture of tonight’s national title game.

"This team has gotten better because we've been through adversity. We know what it's like to be on both sides, winning and losing. Our edge is we know how it feels to lose. We know how it feels to win."

Malachi Toney, Miami wide receiver

"There’s no magic wand. I’m no wizard, that’s for sure. We do have a play called 'wizard' that we put in for this game, however."

Curt Cignetti, Indiana head coach

"There is no tomorrow. We didn't get this far to get this far."

Jakobe Thomas, Miami safety

"Coach Cig? He’s all ball. I think the last TV show he watched was Game of Thrones. That was years ago."

Mike Shanahan, Indiana offensive coordinator

"I remember my Uber driver telling me when I first got to Bloomington, ‘We’re excited, but we don’t know if you’ll be good.’ I told him, ‘We’ll live up to it.’"

Elijah Sarratt, Indiana wide receiver

"The country’s learning that quote-unquote misfits can do it. Doesn’t matter what people say — if you work hard, anything’s possible."

D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana cornerback

"I think this team, this whole city, all the alums, they been waiting for this moment."

Riley Nowakowski, Indiana tight end.

"They don’t play complicated football. They’re a very simple team but a very disciplined team."

Akheem Mesidor, Miami defensive end.

"The only reason I’ve gotten to this point is because there’s so many different people in my journey."

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana quarterback

"Just being a part of something where you didn’t see much success and then you see all your hard work transpire to this, it’s pretty special."

Isaiah Jones, Indiana linebacker

"If we do get in a red zone situation, we have to take away the four-point play."

Corey Heatherman, Miami defensive coordinator

"I want to make them play left‑handed."

Bryant Haines, Indiana defensive coordinator (on scheming against strengths)

"Fernando Mendoza is the hardest worker in every room he’s in."

Aiden Fisher, Indiana linebacker

"Our players know that every single day we’re going to outwork everybody in the country."

Mario Cristobal, Miami head coach

"There is no magic trick. There is no secret pill … The secret is in the work. Our process has led us here. We’re a product of what we’ve done consistently over the past six months."

Pat Coogan, Indiana center

"People say what they going to say. At the end of the day you got to put your hand in the dirt and play some football."

Reuben Bain Jr., Miami defensive end

"I’m calm, I’m cool, I’m collected. You’ve been in these moments before. … You’re out here having fun playing the game you’ve loved since you were 5 years old. I’m going to do whatever it takes to win the football game."

Carson Beck, Miami quarterback

"We just want to make sure we seize the moment, not let the moment seize us."

Kaelon Black, Indiana running back

"ESV — excitement, swarm, and violence. That’s what we go off every day."

Wesley Bissainthe, Miami linebacker

"They can dissect things as quick as I’ve seen a defense dissect things."

Shannon Dawson, Miami offensive coordinator, on the IU defense