This Thursday, 7:00 p.m. ET, the University of Miami Hurricanes (4-2), coming off a loss at home to inter-conference opponent, University of North Carolina Tar Heels, travel to Blacksburg, VA to take on their rival, the Virginia Tech Hokies (4-2), led by first-year head coach Justin Fuente at Lane Stadium.
Last week, Miami lost a tough game to North Carolina 20-13. This loss now makes Miami’s inter-conference record 1-2 and combined with the loss to Florida State two weeks ago, which drops Miami out of the Top 25 national rankings. Two weeks ago, heading into their game against Florida State, Miami was nationally ranked 10th and riding high, but now, they are struggling and have many injuries on the defensive side of the ball.
Against North Carolina, Miami had issues offensively. An offense that was very potent earlier this year with a combination of a dominant running game, complemented by a good passing attack, is now struggling. In the first half of the game, Miami only scored three points and was ineffective in moving the ball. In the second half, Miami was able to move the ball a little bit better as they were able to score 10 points. However, they had numerous opportunities to score in the second half but couldn’t capitalize. The last offensive series was probably the most heartbreaking for Miami.
With a 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, the Miami defense had just forced North Carolina to punt. Miami got the ball at their 20-yard line with one timeout and down by one touchdown. Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya completed an 11-yard pass to running back Mark Walton for a first down. On the very next play, Kaaya was sacked by North Caroline linebacker Malik Carney and fumbled the ball. North Carolina defensive tackle Jeremiah Clarke recovered the fumble, thereby ending any hope for a Miami comeback. Kaaya spoke about the offense and moving forward.
"We need all 11 guys doing the right thing," said Kaaya, "it starts with me.” He also added that Miami, ““can’t dwell on these last two games. The ACC is up in the air right now. It’s all over the place. We just have to keep going and stay the course.” Miami head coach Mark Richt stated that “we’ve [Miami] just got to get better. Got to get better.”
Offensively, Miami was led by Kaaya who completed 16 of 21 passes for 224 yards and no touchdowns. Running back Joseph Yearby and Walton combined for 34 carries for 156 rushing yards and one touchdown. This is now the third game in a row that Miami hasn’t had a single running back rush for over 100 yards.
Against Virginia Tech, Miami will need to keep an eye out for linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka who leads the team in tackles with 57. They will also have to watch out for defensive lineman Ken Ekanem who leads the in sacks with four and a half. Defensive back Greg Stroman will also be a player to follow as he leads the team in interceptions with three.
Virginia Tech is coming off a difficult 31-17 loss on the road to Syracuse. Virginia Tech struggled a bit both offensively and defensively. By halftime, Virginia Tech was down 17-3 hard-pressed to score. When Virginia Tech was making a comeback in the fourth quarter, they turned the ball over twice thus hampering any progress they had. Virginia Tech’s offensive leader was quarterback Jerrod Evans who completed 20 of 33 passes for 307 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Virginia Tech wide receiver Isaiah Ford also had eight catches for 83 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, Virginia Tech found it tough to contain Syracuse’s deadly quarterback Eric Dungey who completed 28 of 53 passes for 311 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In addition, Dungey had 24 carries for 106 yards and one touchdown. Running back Dontae Strickland had 16 carries for 69 yards and one touchdown, and he also threw an 84-yard touchdown pass.
This week against the Miami offense, the Virginia Tech defense will probably not have to worry too much about Kaaya taking off and running the ball as he’s not very mobile. Kaaya is still a very good quarterback and has the ability to get out of this slump he’s in. Virginia Tech will need to be well prepared for Miami’s stable of running backs, as they are very deep at that position and anyone of them could break off for a big gain. Once the Miami running game gets going, it becomes more difficult to stop Miami.
Against the Miami defense, Virginia Tech will need to keep an eye out for defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins who leads the team in tackles with 40. They will also have to watch out for defensive lineman Joe Jackson who leads the in sacks with three and a half. Defensive back Corn Elder will also be a player to watch as he is tied for second on the team with 35 tackles and he leads the team with five pass breakups. Miami is dealing with a few important injuries on defense this season and that list continues to grow. Last week, starting defensive ends Chad Thomas and Demetrius Jackson left the game with injuries. Miami was even forced to play some players that weren’t listed on the two-deep depth chart. Coach Richt spoke about the injuries the team is dealing with.
"We don't have an awful lot of depth across the board really anywhere," Richt said. "There are a lot of teams that go through that. … For most teams, that's an issue and for us right now, we're in the heart of this season. We're midway through, we know we're going into game seven, and we're thinner now than when we started. That's for sure."
In the series between these two teams, Miami leads all-time 20-13. Before last week, both Miami and Virginia Tech were ranked 16th and 17th nationally. Had both teams won last week, this game would’ve been the first time since 2010 that both teams would face off being nationally ranked. Miami’s depth, their ability to play in a very difficult road environment and how they rebound offensively will all be key factors in determining if they’ll win the game. It will be interesting to see how Miami responds to adversity and if they will right the ship, or if they’ll continue to take on water. This game is part of historic rivalry and should be very entertaining to watch.
Last week, Miami lost a tough game to North Carolina 20-13. This loss now makes Miami’s inter-conference record 1-2 and combined with the loss to Florida State two weeks ago, which drops Miami out of the Top 25 national rankings. Two weeks ago, heading into their game against Florida State, Miami was nationally ranked 10th and riding high, but now, they are struggling and have many injuries on the defensive side of the ball.
Against North Carolina, Miami had issues offensively. An offense that was very potent earlier this year with a combination of a dominant running game, complemented by a good passing attack, is now struggling. In the first half of the game, Miami only scored three points and was ineffective in moving the ball. In the second half, Miami was able to move the ball a little bit better as they were able to score 10 points. However, they had numerous opportunities to score in the second half but couldn’t capitalize. The last offensive series was probably the most heartbreaking for Miami.
With a 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, the Miami defense had just forced North Carolina to punt. Miami got the ball at their 20-yard line with one timeout and down by one touchdown. Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya completed an 11-yard pass to running back Mark Walton for a first down. On the very next play, Kaaya was sacked by North Caroline linebacker Malik Carney and fumbled the ball. North Carolina defensive tackle Jeremiah Clarke recovered the fumble, thereby ending any hope for a Miami comeback. Kaaya spoke about the offense and moving forward.
"We need all 11 guys doing the right thing," said Kaaya, "it starts with me.” He also added that Miami, ““can’t dwell on these last two games. The ACC is up in the air right now. It’s all over the place. We just have to keep going and stay the course.” Miami head coach Mark Richt stated that “we’ve [Miami] just got to get better. Got to get better.”
Offensively, Miami was led by Kaaya who completed 16 of 21 passes for 224 yards and no touchdowns. Running back Joseph Yearby and Walton combined for 34 carries for 156 rushing yards and one touchdown. This is now the third game in a row that Miami hasn’t had a single running back rush for over 100 yards.
Against Virginia Tech, Miami will need to keep an eye out for linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka who leads the team in tackles with 57. They will also have to watch out for defensive lineman Ken Ekanem who leads the in sacks with four and a half. Defensive back Greg Stroman will also be a player to follow as he leads the team in interceptions with three.
Virginia Tech is coming off a difficult 31-17 loss on the road to Syracuse. Virginia Tech struggled a bit both offensively and defensively. By halftime, Virginia Tech was down 17-3 hard-pressed to score. When Virginia Tech was making a comeback in the fourth quarter, they turned the ball over twice thus hampering any progress they had. Virginia Tech’s offensive leader was quarterback Jerrod Evans who completed 20 of 33 passes for 307 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Virginia Tech wide receiver Isaiah Ford also had eight catches for 83 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, Virginia Tech found it tough to contain Syracuse’s deadly quarterback Eric Dungey who completed 28 of 53 passes for 311 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In addition, Dungey had 24 carries for 106 yards and one touchdown. Running back Dontae Strickland had 16 carries for 69 yards and one touchdown, and he also threw an 84-yard touchdown pass.
This week against the Miami offense, the Virginia Tech defense will probably not have to worry too much about Kaaya taking off and running the ball as he’s not very mobile. Kaaya is still a very good quarterback and has the ability to get out of this slump he’s in. Virginia Tech will need to be well prepared for Miami’s stable of running backs, as they are very deep at that position and anyone of them could break off for a big gain. Once the Miami running game gets going, it becomes more difficult to stop Miami.
Against the Miami defense, Virginia Tech will need to keep an eye out for defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins who leads the team in tackles with 40. They will also have to watch out for defensive lineman Joe Jackson who leads the in sacks with three and a half. Defensive back Corn Elder will also be a player to watch as he is tied for second on the team with 35 tackles and he leads the team with five pass breakups. Miami is dealing with a few important injuries on defense this season and that list continues to grow. Last week, starting defensive ends Chad Thomas and Demetrius Jackson left the game with injuries. Miami was even forced to play some players that weren’t listed on the two-deep depth chart. Coach Richt spoke about the injuries the team is dealing with.
"We don't have an awful lot of depth across the board really anywhere," Richt said. "There are a lot of teams that go through that. … For most teams, that's an issue and for us right now, we're in the heart of this season. We're midway through, we know we're going into game seven, and we're thinner now than when we started. That's for sure."
In the series between these two teams, Miami leads all-time 20-13. Before last week, both Miami and Virginia Tech were ranked 16th and 17th nationally. Had both teams won last week, this game would’ve been the first time since 2010 that both teams would face off being nationally ranked. Miami’s depth, their ability to play in a very difficult road environment and how they rebound offensively will all be key factors in determining if they’ll win the game. It will be interesting to see how Miami responds to adversity and if they will right the ship, or if they’ll continue to take on water. This game is part of historic rivalry and should be very entertaining to watch.