The Miami Hurricanes knocked off the Virginia Tech Hokies in game nine, 30-12 in UM’s first Thursday night game of the year.
Below are the top five plays from the ACC Coastal Division-defining game of the season.
No. 5 – Stephen Morris finds Rashawn Scott on 3rd-and-12 – Early in the fourth quarter Miami led 20-12 and started the drive from its own thirty-one. Morris found Allen Hurns for a five-yard gain and the dumped to Duke Johnson for a two-yard loss.
Facing a 3rd-and-12 from its own twenty-nine, Miami was 1-of-10 on third-down conversions at this point of the evening when Morris rolled left and completed a pass to Scott, picking up twenty-six yards and keeping the drive alive.
From there, three runs with Mike James baited the Virginia Tech defense and facing a 2nd-and-7 from the VT twenty-seven, Morris passed to Phillip Dorsett and peeled right, while Dorsett followed and passed back to Morris for a twenty-yard gain.
A play later Johnson scored the seven-yard touchdown, putting UM ahead, 27-12 and effectively putting the game completely out of reach, breaking the Hokies’ collective spirit.
No. 4 – Duke Johnson breaks off sixty-five yard run after Logan Thomas touchdown – Thomas dialed up a seventy-three yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, making it a 14-9 game after a missed extra point.
A solid stand from the Virginia Tech defense could’ve put the Hokies right back in the game, but on 1st-and-10 from the UM twenty-five, Johnson tore off a sixty-five yard run.
Miami’s offense had to settle for a twenty-two yard Jake Wieclaw field goal after a 3rd-and-Goal pass (from the five) fell incomplete, but again it allowed the Canes to answer back, making it a 17-9 ball game, again demoralizing the Tech defense early.
No. 3 – Ladarius Gunter intercepts Logan Thomas on VT’s opening drive – Falling into an early hole as hurt Miami this year and no better shot in the arm for a struggling defense than a forced turnover.
Thomas ran a few times early, completed a few passes and moved his team fifty-nine yards on seven plays before throwing an interception on 1st-and-10 from the twenty, which Gunter returned to the UM twenty-six.
The Canes didn’t score off the turnover, but it helped the field position battle as a Dalton Botts punt gave the Hokies the ball at UM’s twenty-nine. Five plays later, after a solid defensive stand, Miami blocked a Virginia Tech punt and scored a touchdown two plays later.
No. 2 – Duke Johnson returns kickoff eighty-one yards to VT’s nineteen – Virginia Tech had just made it a 7-3 game, answering Miami’s early touchdown after the blocked punt. The drive went forty-four yards on eleven plays, but the Canes’ defense stood strong three straight plays, keeping the Hokies out of the end zone after a 1st-and-Goal from the five.
Duke Johnson caught the kickoff in the end zone and exploded down the right side, eluding tackles, stopping on a dime and getting all the way to the VT nineteen.
Mike James rushed for three on first down and facing a 2nd-and-7 from the sixteen, Stephen Morris dumped off to James, who was wide open and ran in for the score, pushing the lead to 14-3.
Answering back after an opponent’s score is the easiest way to lose momentum and Duke’s big return gave a recently-stagnant offense another short field to work with, resulting in much-needed points.
No. 1 – Gabe Terry and the Canes’ special teams block a Hokies punt – Miami gave Virginia Tech a dose of ‘Beamer Ball’ midway through the first quarter, changing the course of the game, resulting in a short field and a touchdown two plays later.
The blocked kick truly gave the Canes early momentum, while truly deflating the Hokies. The previous drive, Miami’s defense picked off Logan Thomas deep in UM territory and coupled with the blocked kick a few plays later, a fourteen-point swing, despite Tech holding the ball 5:57 to Miami’s 1:31.
Christian Bello has been covering Miami Hurricanes athletics since the mid-1990s. After spending almost a decade as a columnist for CanesTime, he launched allCanesBlog.com. – the official blog for allCanes.com : The #1 Canes Shop Since 1959. Bello has joined up with XOFan.com and will be a guest columnist at CaneInsider.com this fall. Follow him on Twitter @ChristianRBello.
We are definitely starting to see improvement on D, but I wonder why the safeties are playing so deep??? Still allowing to much 1st down yardage, especially 1st downs on 1st down.
All big plays, but I’m surprised the fumble recovery on the goal line wasn’t included. It was definitely more of a mistake by VT, but getting that recovery was huge. I think it was only an 8 point lead at that time and Beamer said he was planning to go for 2 to tie the game.
Marc – I’d list the fumble at #5b to the 3rd-and-12 complete to Scott as the completion and touchdown came later to put it away. Fumble was absolutely huge as it kept points off the board – as did the early Gunter pick, which was huge as it was an early momentum builder.