Miami Must Prove Its Growth At Virginia

Safe to say it will take fans of “The U” a good while to get over last Saturday’s loss to Florida State, but for the Miami Hurricanes as a team—this program better have a short memory entering this weekend’s showdown in Charlottesville when taking on the Virginia Cavaliers or it’ll spell disaster.

The old adage about not letting the Seminoles beat the Hurricanes two weeks in a row, courtesy of a hangover and lamenting over one that got away; it couldn’t be more on point come Saturday night.

Besides having an arch-rival on the ropes and rendered unable to deliver the knockout blow, Miami also suffered it’s third ACC loss on the year and will endure another season without a Coastal Division crown.

With that double-dose of disappointment, how do the Canes prevail on the road against a Cavaliers’ squad that always seems to have their number in Scott Stadium?

For Miami’s Al Golden, it’s the million-dollar question as he faces yet another must-win game. There aren’t any conference implications at stake and the difference between 7-4 and 6-5 doesn’t mean much on-paper, but the maligned fourth-year head coach remains in “prove it” mode with this fan base and has to win this game for the sake of the greater good.

No, a decade-long drought for the Miami program certainly isn’t Golden’s doing and three of his first four years leading the Canes were spent battling the NCAA and cleaning up a mess that wasn’t his doing. Still, with losing ways to embedded in the current culture, Golden has turned into the whipping post for his critics as winning will prove the only cure.

While the recent loss to Florida State is certainly understandable—the Seminoles riding a then-25-game win-streak, rolling in as defending champs and a well-oiled machine recruiting-wise for years on end—Golden dug himself a hole early this season with winnable losses and it will carry over until the Hurricanes are relevant again.

Conservative play cost Miami at Louisville on Labor Day. Protecting and limiting true freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya in his first-ever collegiate game was forgivable, but turnovers and special teams mistakes had things unraveling and out of control late.

At Nebraska, a defense that played out of position all night, unable to stop the run and again, uncharacteristic mistakes that did Miami in. Still, most-glaring remains a porous defensive performance at Georgia Tech when the Canes had shown an ability to shut down the triple-option years passed and were coming off a spirited performance a week prior, swarming and stifling Duke.

The Yellow Jackets set the tone, dictated the pace of the game, successfully played keep-away from Miami and pulled off the victory in a crucial Coastal Division battle—one that wound up earning Georgia Tech the divisional crown this week when Duke fell to North Carolina.

Another case of insult-to-injury as everyone seemingly finds a way in this average conference, sans the Hurricanes.

Since the early October loss to Georgia Tech, to Golden’s and Miami’s credit, this program appears to have turned somewhat of a corner. A valid explanation regarding what’s been tweaked hasn’t been given, but the product on the field has been better.

Wins over Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and North Carolina weren’t impressive because of the foes, but deserve credit for the way Miami performed. Aggressive on defense, balanced on offense and fully prepared in every contest. That in itself is the blueprint for long-term success.

The Hurricanes set the tone, established their will and never looked back and the same looked to be the case against the Seminoles last week, before Miami clammed up in the second half and failed to execute.

OVERALL GROWTH VERSUS WINS AND LOSSES

While it’s hard to argue a sole focus on end result, there’s more to the story right now than just wins versus losses regarding this Hurricanes program.

A year ago Miami was 7-0 heading into Florida State weekend—eking out wins over mid-level ACC teams and ridiculed as arguably one of the worst seventh-ranked teams in history, which the Seminoles confirmed by way of a 41-14 beat down.

For those solely obsessed with records and rankings, who would argue that last November’s undefeated squad was better than this season’s three-loss team that stumbled last week?

No one—serving as proof that there’s more to the overall equation than the win/loss column. The process has to count for something and growth must be charted.

As a team the Hurricanes are showing improvement, while the Miami coaching staff is coming off less stubborn and displaying an understanding that it’s get-it-done time based on changes being implemented.

Overall improvement, direction of the program and chartable growth are the name of the game and for the Hurricanes a huge step-forward opportunity this weekend at Virginia based on recent history.

The Canes have every excuse in the book to show up flat on Saturday night as they’re theoretically playing for “nothing”—though that couldn’t be further from the truth. A no-show by Miami wouldn’t necessarily be uncharacteristic based on this program’s recent run, but would be disastrous four years into this current regime.

Miami absolutely has something to prove at Virginia; most-notably that it is maturing into a big-picture program that will treat the Cavaliers with the same focus, energy and intensity it showed the Seminoles—both the players in their execution and this coaching staff with game plan and ability to motivate.

For Golden, roasted on local sports talk radio, enduring slanderous banners flying high on game day and dropping some gut-wrenching games thus far, another season-defining moment is on the horizon.

Does the embroiled Miami coach come out with a plan—his team prepared, hungry and dictating the course of the game? A maddening game, no less; one that Golden is “supposed” to win and will get not pat on the back for doing so, but also the type of game where a loss will make the noise deafening regarding change, short-term as that kind of thinking may be.

Week in and week out, the Hurricanes know they’re going to get their opponent’s best. Virginia is riding a four-game losing streak, having dropped some close, winnable games after starting the season taking UCLA to the wire and upsetting Louisville. Three of this team’s five losses are by eight points, or less.

As the season has unraveled, the Cavaliers are also now playing for their coach Mike London, who looks like he’ll be out of a job in a few weeks. No better send off than taking down Miami and Virginia Tech over the next two weeks. This team will show up.

In ten ACC meetings, Virginia has been a true thorn in Miami’s side. The series is at 5-5 since 2004, but the Cavaliers won three straight before last season, the last two at Scott Stadium and are 3-2 at home against the Canes since becoming conference foes.

Games in Charlottesville are always relatively close for these two, as well.

In 2012, a 41-40 Virginia win by way of the game-winning touchdown delivered with :06 remaining. Two years prior, Miami attempting to rally back from a 24-0 deficit with a third string quarterback in freshman Stephen Morris, eventually falling, 24-19.

The 2008 version of this rivalry went to overtime, the Canes trailing 17-10 most of the fourth quarter but tying things up in the final minute, capping a Jacory Harris-led 95-yard scoring drive and prevailing in overtime, 24-17.

Miami’s other lone win at Scott Stadium dates all the way back to 2004, where players like Roscoe Parrish and Frank Gore were leaned on en route to a victory over the tenth-ranked Cavaliers.

‘HOOS: A SEASON ON THE LINE & AMPLE PREP TIME

Virginia has been off since a 34-20 home loss to Florida State on November 8th. The Cavaliers are not only fresh, but have had two weeks to prepare for what will be a rowdy night game in their house.

There’s also blood in the water as London and his team know Miami is coming off an emotional loss to a rival, which brings a degree of fragility to the situation no matter what.

Miami has been potent on offense, but it lining up against a stout Virginia defense—on the road, no less, where Kaaya and these Canes have struggled with time of possession, third down conversions and turnovers.

If this Miami team is truly turning a late-season corner, it shakes this stigma and puts together an effective offense performance much like it brought to Blacksburg late October. The game plan wasn’t flashy—Kaaya with 16 attempts and seven completions for 92 yards—his biggest plays through the air coming by way of dump offs to running backs.

Meanwhile, Duke Johnson was a full-blown workhorse, carrying 29 tiles for 249 yards, helping Miami dominate time of possession while the Canes’ defense forced turnovers and continued swinging momentum back to the visiting team in that hostile environment.

Virginia will come after Kaaya, as any good defense would a true freshman quarterback. The Cavaliers will rely on Miami mistakes for short field position an some quick scores.

Greyson Lambert isn’t setting the world on fire at quarterback, so he’ll need all the breaks he can get—and no better way than turning a defense loose that’s already forced 24 turnovers this season (17 of which took place during their four wins on the year). Lambert’s biggest threat is receiver Darius Jennings, who has a team-high 466 yards on the season, by way of 24 receptions. Jennings is also averaging 27.2 yards-per-play as a returner.

Getting established early is the key for Miami, so having a chain-moving game plan in play as the Canes did against the Hokies is key.

Lean on Johnson. Continue finding the middle of the field (if it’s there), going back to tight end Clive Walford, who was on fire against Florida State, hauling in four receptions for 127 yards and a touchdowns. Have a few plays dialed up to utilize the speed of receiver Phillip Dorsett and continue finding ways to get the ball in the hands of play makers, designed pass plays to both Johnson and second-string back Joe Yearby.

For those overly focused on records, tonight means little for a four-loss Miami team—a slot in this mid-term bowl game or that one. Another loss to an arch-rival and a season that will have another conference foe representing the Coastal. Both are understandably disappointing and deserve some fist-shaking.

That said, the importance of a win in Charlottesville cannot be diminished as there is something to play for; growth and that much-needed step forward. Miami won’t be playing for championships—conference or national—until it shows the resiliency to bounce-back and show up in “meaningless” games like tonight.

The Cavaliers will be ready. Will the Hurricanes?

Miami 30, Virginia 23

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