I should include a second copy of the VT logo on the Miami side of that "VS", because the Hokies will be battling their own demons as much as "Da U". Unfortunately, Miami has the kind of skill you need to focus all your attention on. On the bright side, the Canes also have problems with tripping over themselves, be it because of individual ego, coaching, or just straight up apathy.
The VT/Miami rivalry has become a fun yearly event, and even in seasons where one or both teams weren't in the national spotlight, there is usually something on the line when these two meet up. This year it is just the upper hand in a division that will take a lot more games than this one to decide. This is almost a must win game for both teams, as they're both 0-1 in conference, albeit against cross-divisional teams, so both teams still control their own destiny. A loss this weekend will put one team behind the proverbial 8-ball. On the other hand, a loss shouldn't deter either team's motivation going forth, because if there is one constant in the ACC, it is that anything can happen.
Injuries have been affecting both teams this season, with both teams losing some key players to season long injuries. Tech suffers a loss on both lines in Wang and Hopkins, while the Canes are seeing their front seven depleted with the loss of LB Buchanon, and DT Forston. You never want to see injuries happen, even to rival opponents, but now is the time for some young blood to step up and show why they were worth a scholarship to whichever great program they currently play for.
Miami Offense
Once again at the helm for the Canes is QB Jacory Harris. After receiving a lot of over hyped talk early in his career, Harris has never been able to live up to his potential/hype, whichever side you believe to be the truth. When he is on, he is hard to stop, but when he's rattled, he is hard to settle down. The key here will be for the Hokie D to give his as little time as possible to throw the ball. A sack and fumble early in the contest last time the Canes were in Lane and "back" started what would become an eventual blowout in the rain. A situation like that, assuming the offensive can capitalize, would be huge this week. On a side note, and not that I'm complaining, in my non-bias opinion, I don't understand why Golden didn't decide to stick with Morris all year. He may not be as experienced as Harris, but he is the future, so you might as well give him time this year to prepare for the future. Although we'll see how long into the future Golden is at the U, so maybe it's not a big concern to him.
The main reason the Hokies were able to pull out a victory in Sun Life Stadium last year is the fact the Canes decided to stop running the ball when it was clearly working. Lamar Miller was getting yards at will, but the Gobbler defense is quite different and up to the task this year. I expect the Canes' initial gameplan to give him the rock a high number of times, and see how effective that is. If we play up to the level the D has been at all year and shut him down early, hopefully that forces the Canes to put the ball into Harris' hands more often. Jayron and company would love the opportunity to be the game changers with Jacory's history of throwing to the other team.
The Canes receiving corps has a nice combination in speed (Benjamin), youth (Hurns), and size (Streeter). These guys can be dangerous in different ways, but we'd probably rather Miami be trying to get them the ball instead of Miller. The best part of the Canes O is their large, and deep offensive line, but once they get more complicated than just handing the ball to the player in the backfield, there are too many ways they can trip up over their own feet.
Miami Defense
As I mentioned earlier, the Miami defense has been depleted a little bit, and that starts up front on the D-line. The Canes have already struggled to stop the run this year, so this should be helpful to the Hokies who also want to establish themselves on the ground first. Although last week we played a Clemson D who struggled to stop the run, and didn't put up any impressive or impact numbers. As long as the Hokies use their two backs to their strengths (no outside runs by JO on 3rd and 1) we should be able to take a little bit of the load off of Logan (sidenote 2: I've stripped him of his The Lieutenant nickname till he has earned it).
With the second, and bigger, injury to Buchanon in the middle, the Canes have an interesting dynamic in the linebackers. On the one hand, their best player is a LB. On the other hand, there is no one else there. It will be interesting to see if Tech's bumbling offense will be able to take advantage of this weakness and exploit it. Maybe more crossing routes and passes over the middle, which is something we should have been doing all year anyways.
One player the Canes are getting back to their roster is Ray Ray Armstrong, who until now has been serving a suspension, for reasons I can't even keep up with anymore. While he may not start, he'll definitely play. Along with him in the secondary is Telemaque, who is capable of being both a leader and playmaker. I'm sure for when we do decide to pass down field, the gameplan will be for Logan to know where those two are pre-snap. We already have enough turnovers on the season, and I'm not trying to give away anymore by throwing up prayers to their strong spots.
Conclusion
This game has the potential to be another classic Hokies/Hurricanes game. Great players playing great football in a game that comes down to the 4th quarter. This game also has the potential to be heavy on the defensive action, and low on the points. Either way I hope the crowd is past last week's loss, and loud for the entire game. This will be probably our last non-noon, non-Thursday night game, so take advantage of the tailgating time that is allowed with the 3:30 start.
The last couple of times VT has been embarrassed on the scoreboard, (BC 06, LSU 07, JMU 10) the Hokies have responded well to finish out the season. This year is far from over, and while competition may get a little lighter after this game, we can't afford to start 0-2 in conference and expect to play in Charlotte without a lot of luck.
Logan right now is young, which isn't his fault, but that means we need a leader on offense to get them back on the right track. I would expect experienced guys like Boykin or Coale, or passionate guys like Wilson to try get things right psychologically before kickoff. After that it all comes down to execution, as I still refuse to believe that these players don't have the skill to be an explosive offensive unit. Only time will tell.
Score Prediction: Hokies 20 Hurricanes: 14
H-O-K-I-E-S HOKIES!!!
ACC weekend preview and predictions coming during the next layover.
Follow along on Twitter @UtProsimGobbler
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