Miami Due For Win Against Sub-Par Virginia Tech

Whatever it takes, the Hurricanes need to come out of Lane Stadium with a victory on Thursday. Why? For pretty much every reason one can imagine and then some.

Three losses seven games into year four of the Al Golden era, where depth is being restored and the NCAA no longer a nuisance.

A mind-bogglng, impossible-to-fathom record against Virginia Tech (6-13) dating back to the mid-nineties.

A sliver of hope regarding a shot at a way-too-elusive ACC Coastal Division crown.

The list goes on, but talk is cheap. Just win, Miami. Seriously.

Looking back at the past two decades, this rivalry has unseemingly gone the way of the program 0-12 against “The U” before that inaugural 1995 victory.

The Hokies bested the Hurricanes five straight during the Butch Davis era as Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer was quietly building a solid little program and Davis was cleaning up a mess he didn’t make. (Sound familiar?)

A few years and a handful of nasty recruiting classes later, Miami was back and won three straight—2000 through 2002—which served stepping stones for bigger goals; back-to-back title games, a national championship and three BCS berths over that span.

The fifth-ranked Hurricanes also put on a spirited performance in 2005, knocking off the third-ranked Hokies in Blacksburg—the last time “The U” won at Lane Stadium for only the second time since 1992.

Outside that six-year span where Miami went 4-2 against Beamer’s crew, it’s been a 2-13 run dating back to that first loss. Even worse, the Hurricanes have let some extremely winnable games slip away in this rivalry.

Virginia Tech ran for 300 yards against Miami in 1995, earning a 13-7 win. A year later, that cringeworthy home loss where two game-tying scores were dropped and a third attempted at glory resulted in a 100-yard interception return in a 21-7 loss. (Somehow it feels like Keion Carpenter is still running.)

The 1998 contest went to overtime, where Miami unraveled offensively in the game’s final minutes, the Canes falling, 27-20. The year before, a 27-25 road loss at Lane. (Somehow it feels like Corey Moore is still making plays in the backfield.)

A lopsided road showdown in 1999 doesn’t even warrant discussion, as Virginia Tech rolled 43-10 en route to the program’s lone national championship appearance, falling to Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.

Fast-forward a decade-and-a-half to Miami being back—riding a 39-regular season win-streak and a dynasty, but got worked over 31-7 at Lane Stadium in 2003. (Somehow it feels like Kevin Everett is still dropping that sure-fire touchdown.)

In 2004, the first of many ACC battles between the two—with the Canes laying an egg offensively, falling 16-10 at home and sending Virginia Tech to the Sugar Bowl to take on undefeated Auburn.

Miami looked on track to “back” in 2009 under Randy Shannon, having knocked off Florida State in Tallahassee and waxing Georgia Tech in a Thursday night home opener, only to get demolished by Virginia Tech—on the heels of “Heisman” and Jacory Harris thrown around for weeks, who played at Lane like he’d never before seen rain.

Last year it was the two special teams turnovers, an inadvertent special teams kneel and sub par defense that let an average Hokies team get a leg up on the Canes.

Two years prior, a road shootout and the sight of quarterback Logan Thomas scampering up the middle for a 19-yard game-winning touchdown run on 4th-and-1, two minutes after is looked like Miami might’ve scrapped back and gone ahead for good.

Thomas wasn’t the only mid-level Hokies quarterback who’s gone all-world against Miami.
Michael Vick remains the name synonymous with Virginia Tech’s highest-level success, but against the Canes, guys like Tyrod Taylor, Sean Glennon, Bryan Randall and ol’ Jim Druckenmiller all made plays when it counted and found a way to deliver with everything on the line.

Thursday night’s showdown in Blacksburg will take place against a shell of the VPI squads Miami has faced over the years—but even that offers no solace as Lane Stadium will be rocking and the Canes are riding not-so-high with a four-game road losing streak.

Where Miami can hang it’s hat; offensive personnel, coupled with some key losses at running back for Virginia Tech.

The Hokies only amassed 22 yards on 26 carries last week, while quarterback Michael Brewer has attempted to carry the weight, forces passes and has 11 interceptions in seven games this season, though he’s cleaned it up the past few games.

Virginia Tech is also susceptible to giving up the big play. Last Thursday night at Pittsburgh, a 53-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. Later in the contest, quarterback Chad Voytik broke off a 49-yard first-down run in what at the time was a five-point Panthers’ lead.

Hardly textbook, lunchpail Virginia Tech defense—which took another step back when losing linebacker and leading tackler Chase Williams, who is currently listed as doubtful for Thursday night. The Hokies were already without defensive tackle Luther Maddy, who was injured earlier this season and is out for the year.

Miami is coming off a bye week, but prior to had a season-best offensive performance against Cincinnati—amassing 621 total yards, throwing for 286 and rushing for 335.

Running back Duke Johnson tore off an 80-yard score on the Canes’ second possession, while wide receiver Phillip Dorsett hauled in a career-long 79-yard touchdown strike late in the third—leading logically-minded folk to believe that offensive coordinator James Coley will manufacture ways to get the ball to both often and early this week.

Running back Joe Yearby and the due-to-break-out wide receiver Stacy Coley would be less obvious options with all eyes on Johnson and Dorsett.

The recipe for success is pretty simple—on paper. Miami will go as far as the offense takes it; quieting a raucous crowd, putting the Hokies on their heels and giving the shaky Hurricanes’ defense a little pep in their step, also courtesy of a barely one-dimensional Virginia Tech offense.

In the past, Lane Stadium’s “12th Man” impact was an added bonus. Come Thursday, it’ll double as the Hokies’ top-ranked defender, hoping to rattle Miami’s freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya, while providing a spark for a home team licking its wounds.

In three tries, Kaaya is yet to win his first road game—falling at Louisville, Nebraska and most-recently, Georgia Tech.

Thing are far from status quo at home in Coral Gables, with Miami natives restless over a 4-3 start, a few big time defensive meltdowns and all the quirky math and upset-charts already being worked out late October, in effort to figure out what it will take for the Hurricanes to win a watered-down Coastal Division.

It wasn’t supposed to be like that. Not year four under this coaching staff and not with the meat of the conference schedule remaining.

Even worse, the soundbites. Many have deemed the weekly Golden appearances on the Joe Rose Show unlistenable, but Mark D’Onofrio is the latest culprit in the game of poorly-worded coach speak.

“I’m happy with our performance,” D’Onofrio told the media on Tuesday. “The coaching staff is pleased [with the players on defense].”

The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson—who has been incredibly in-depth with his Canes coverage recently—pointed out some stats the maligned defensive coordinator cherry-picked over.

Where D’Onofrio acknowledged that Miami is seventh in yards allowed per play (4.46), he failed to mention that the Canes are 53rd in scoring defense, 69th in red zone defensive, 71st in third-down defense, 61st in first downs and 108th in tackles for loss per game.

While Miami’s defensive numbers will leave many pulling their hair out, fact remains only one number matters Thursday night; the final score.

Firings, hirings or changing of schemes—not going to happen midseason. Five games remain, with Virginia Tech and a home game against North Carolina (11/1) absolutely must-win for Miami with Florida State on deck mid-November.

Whatever shot the Canes do or don’t have against the Seminoles—all can agree that riding a three-game win-streak into that showdown is the only option. Miami has to play with some consistency and find its identity between now and season’s end. There is no alternative.

Virginia Tech and Florida State also mark rare opportunities where Miami’s coaching staff is coming off a bye and will have two weeks to prepare for a couple thorn-in-the-side programs that have reinvented ways to top the Hurricanes in years passed.

What do Golden, D’Onofrio and Coley have up their sleeve for Thursday night? Virginia Tech is ripe to be put out of its 2014 misery.

Is Miami up for the task? Or will this result in another pointless dogfight, where a hostile crowd and recent history weigh heavy and take this down to the wire?

Based on history and recent play, an impossible question to answer pre-kickoff.

Miami 24, Virginia Tech 16

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