Pivotal Coastal Clash: FB Hosts Virginia Tech

GAME INFORMATION
Date / Time: Thu., Nov. 1, 2012 / 7:31 p.m. ET
Site: Miami Gardens, Fla. / Sun Life Stadium (74,916)
TV: ESPN
   Play-by-Play: Rece Davis; Analysts: Jesse Palmer, David Pollack; Sideline: Samantha Steele
National Radio: ESPN Radio
   Play-by-Play: Bill Rosinski; Analyst: David Norrie; Sideline: Joe Schad
Local Radio: 560 WQAM
   Play-by-Play: Joe Zagacki; Analyst: Don Bailey Jr.; Sideline: Josh Darrow
Spanish Radio: Caracol 1260 AM
   Play-by-Play: Roly Martin; Analysts: Pepe Campos and Joe Martinez
Student Radio: 90.5 FM WVUM
   Talent: Chris Wittyngham, Kyle Sielaff, AJ Ricketts
Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM 85
Live Stats: HurricaneSports.com
Twitter Updates: @HurricaneSports / @LosHuracanes
Series: Miami leads, 17-12
   Miami: Miami leads, 9-7
   Blacksburg: Tied, 5-5
   Neutral Site: Miami leads, 2-0
   First Meeting: 1953 – W, 26-0
   Last Meeting: 2011 – L, 35-38
   Streak: Virginia Tech, 3 wins

STORY LINES

• Miami concludes its three-game homestand Thu., Nov. 1 when it hosts ACC Coastal Division rival Virginia Tech on ESPN. Thursday will mark the 21st consecutive season the schools have met, dating back to their years as Big East Conference foes.
• Thursday is the 30th series meeting and the 17th in Miami. Miami holds a 17-12 series advantage over Virginia Tech, but the Hokies have won three straight meetings.
• Miami holds a slim 9-7 advantage at home over Virginia Tech and lost four of the last five meetings in Miami.
• Freshman RB/PK Duke Johnson is among the names listed on the 2012 Jet Award Midseason and the 2012 CFPA National Freshman Performer of the Year Watch Lists.
• Pro Football Hall of Fame DE Cortez Kennedy and future College Football Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Johnson will be honored during Miami’s home game Nov. 1 vs. Virginia Tech.
• 31 of Denzel Perryman‘s 47 tackles have come in the last 3 games, including a team-high 11 tackles in an Oct. 13 loss to North Carolina and a season-high 12 stops Oct. 20 vs. No. 14 Florida State.
• The University of Miami recorded a department-wide school-record Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93 percent, according to the rates released Oct. 25 by the NCAA.
• As a department, Miami’s 93 percent GSR ranks fourth among ACC schools and is eighth overall among FBS schools. Overall, the University of Miami athletic department has improved from 77 to 93 percent from 2005 to 2012. UM has exceeded the NCAA average GSR in each of the last eight years.
• Six UM teams compiled GSR marks of 100 percent; men’s diving and golf posted its eighth consecutive perfect GSR mark, while women’s tennis recorded its fifth straight GSR score of 100 percent. Also adding perfect GSR scorers were women’s rowing, women’s golf, women’s swimming and volleyball.
• In each of Miami’s four wins, Miami made up a deficit of at least seven points to come back and win.

NATIONAL TELEVISION COVERAGE

• Thursday’s contest between Miami and Virginia Tech will be televised nationally at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Rece Davis (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), David Pollack (analyst) and Samantha Steele (sideline) will call the action.

QUICK HITS

• A ‘U’ of firsts: In September 1955, the first college football game to be televised in color was Miami vs. Georgia Tech, a 14-6 Hurricanes loss. In November 1968, the first college football game to be televised on primetime television was Miami at Alabama, also a 14-6 UM loss.
• Freshman S Deon Bush and redshirt freshman LB Eddie Johnson are tied for ACC lead with 3 forced fumbles.
• Through 8 games, junior QB Stephen Morris led the ACC in completions (179), passing attempts (311) and passing yards (2,219), while ranking second with 277.4 yards per game.
• Notable Miami ACC statistical rankings: 3rd in pass offense (289.0), 5th in total offense (416.4), 5th in first downs (20.5), 5th in 3rd down conversions (41.8), 7th in scoring offense (26.9), 8th in rushing offense (127.4), 9th in 4th down conversions (42.9), 10th in pass defense (249.9), 10th in pass efficiency (124.6), 11th in scoring defense (32.4), 11th in total defense (499.1), 11th in rushing defense (249.2), 11th in pass defensive efficiency (137.0)
• Notable Miami NCAA statistical rankings: 23rd in passing offense, 28th in kickoff returns (24.16), 48th in turnover margin (0.25), t50th in sacks allowed (1.63), 51st in total offense, 69th in scoring offense, 88th in punt returns (7.00), 82nd in passing efficiency, 82nd in net punting (35.97) and 83rd in pass defense.
• Freshman RB Duke Johnson NCAA rankings: 18th in kick returns (27.94), 28th in all-purpose yards (137.88).
• Duke Johnson ACC statistical rankings: 4th in all-purpose yards (137.9), 10th in rushing (56.9).
• Junior QB Stephen Morris NCAA rankings: 25th in total offense (285.12), 78th in passing efficiency (123.60).
• Sophomore WR Phillip Dorsett NCAA rankings: 43rd in kickoff returns (23.90), 77th in receiving yards (65.38).
• Stephen Morris ranks second among ACC quarterbacks in passing yards per game (277.4), second in total offense (285.1) and 10th in pass efficiency (123.6).
• Miami has 15 different players that have at least one reception in eight games.
• Through 8 games, 21 freshmen have seen action for the Miami Hurricanes, including 16 true freshmen.
• Seven freshmen have started at least one game for the Miami Hurricanes: true freshman RT Ereck Flowers, true freshman RB Duke Johnson, true freshman WR Malcolm Lewis, true freshman S Deon Bush, redshirt freshman LB Eddie Johnson, redshirt freshman DL Corey King and true freshman DL Earl Moore.
• In the first 20 games of the Al Golden era, Miami has used 18 different defensive starting lineups.

VIRGINIA TECH SERIES HISTORY

• Miami holds a 17-12 series advantage against Virginia Tech, but the Hokies have won three straight.
• Miami holds a slim 9-7 advantage at home over VT and lost four of the last five meetings in Miami.
• Thursday will mark the 21st consecutive season the schools have met, dating back to their years as Big East Conference foes. Virginia Tech holds a 12-9 series edge in conference meetings.
• It will also be on the sixth time that neither team is ranked at the time of their meeting.
• Last season, Miami overcame a 21-7 second-quarter deficit to take a 35-31 lead late in the fourth quarter on a Lamar Miller 30-yard run in Blacksburg. However, Logan Thomas scampered in from 19 yards out with 56 seconds remaining to give the Hokies the eventual 38-35 win at Lane Stadium.

PERRYMAN’S PRESENCE

• Sophomore LB Denzel Perryman ranks second on the Miami Hurricanes squad with 47 total tackles, including a team-best 38 stops. Thirty-one of Perryman’s 47 tackles have come in the last 3 games, including a team-high 11 tackles in an Oct. 13 loss to North Carolina and a season-high 12 stops Oct. 20 vs. No. 14 Florida State.

MAKING MOST OF RED ZONE CHANCES

• Through 8 games, the Miami Hurricanes are converting 82.8 percent of their red zone opportunities (24 of 29). Dating back to the third quarter of its 44-37 win Sept. 29 vs. NC State, Miami has converted eight consecutive red zone trips, including six TDs.

FRESHMAN FUMBLE (EN)FORCERS

• Freshman S Deon Bush and redshirt freshman LB Eddie Johnson both have 3 forced fumbles each – tied for the lead among ACC defenders. Bush and Johnson have combined for 6 of Miami’s 11 forced fumbles this season.

#DUUUKE ON JET AWARD, CFPA FRESHMAN WATCH LISTS

• Freshman RB/PK Duke Johnson is among the names listed on the 2012 Jet Award Midseason and the 2012 CFPA National Freshman Performer of the Year Watch Lists.
• The Jet Award honors the best return specialist in college football. The 2012 Jet Award Midseason Watch List includes several of the nation’s leading kickoff and punt returners. Johnson is the only freshman and one of two ACC representatives on the 12-player midseason list.
• Johnson is one of 28 FBS players on the 2012 National Freshman Performer of the Year Watch List by College Football Performance Award. Johnson and Stefon Diggs (Maryland) are the lone ACC representatives.

A WIN BY MIAMI WOULD…

• Snap the Hurricanes’ three-game losing streak, the longest of the Al Golden era (lost 4 straight from Nov. 20, 2010-Sept. 5, 2011).
• Snap the Hurricanes’ three-game series losing streak to Virginia Tech.
• Be its first home win over Virginia Tech since 2008.
• Be its fourth ACC win and snap its two-game ACC losing streak.
• Increase Al Golden‘s Miami record to 11-10.

HURRICANE STUDENT-ATHLETES SET GSR SCHOOL RECORD

• The University of Miami recorded a department-wide school-record Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93 percent, according to the rates released Oct. 25 by the NCAA.
• As a department, Miami’s 93 percent GSR ranks fourth among ACC schools and is eighth overall among FBS schools. Overall, the University of Miami athletic department has improved from 77 to 93 percent from 2005 to 2012, a year after UM student-athletes posted a then-record 89 percent GSR in 2011. UM has exceeded the NCAA average GSR in each of the last eight years.
• Six UM teams compiled GSR marks of 100 percent; men’s diving and golf posted its eighth consecutive perfect GSR mark, while women’s tennis recorded its fifth straight GSR score of 100 percent. Also adding perfect GSR scorers were women’s rowing, women’s golf, women’s swimming and volleyball.
• Volleyball posted a perfect score for the second consecutive year, while both rowing and women’s swimming set program-record highs for GSR.
• Football jumped six points from 88 to 94 in 2012, tying for the third-highest GSR score among FBS schools and improving by 27 points (67 to 94) from 2010. Baseball had the largest jump of any UM program, improving by 20 points (60 to 80).
• The most recent Division I Graduation Success Rates are based on the four entering classes from 2002-2003 through 2005-06.

BOTTS AMONG 2012 RAY GUY AWARD CANDIDATES

• Senior P Dalton Botts is one of 69 candidates for the 2012 Ray Guy Award, the Augusta Sports Council announced Oct. 26. The Ray Guy Award is given to the nation’s top collegiate punter.
• Botts, who was on the Ray Guy Award Watch List in July, ranks fifth among ACC punters with 40.5-yard average on 36 punts. He has pinned 15 punts inside the 20, while booting four kicks of 50-plus yards. The Taft, Calif., native is one of five ACC punters named as Ray Guy Award candidates, joining Will Monday (Duke), Sean Poole (Georgia Tech), Thomas Hibbard (North Carolina) and Alex Vozenilek (Virginia).
• The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinals on Nov. 9. Following the semifinalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified Nov. 19.
• The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured on “The Home Depot College Football Awards” live Thu., Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

#ROOKIECANES NO MORE

• Through 8 games, 21 freshmen – including 16 true freshmen – have seen game action for the Hurricanes.
• Of those 21 freshmen, seven have started at least one game: S Deon Bush, RT Ereck Flowers, RB Duke Johnson, WR Malcolm Lewis, DT Earl Moore, DL Corey King and LB Eddie Johnson.

PLENTY OF OPTIONS

• Miami has 15 different players that have at least one reception in eight games, with the 15th player being QB Stephen Morris. In addition to Morris, Allen Hurns, Rashawn Scott, Phillip Dorsett, Clive Walford, Malcolm Lewis, Duke Johnson, Devon Johnson, Mike James, Asante Cleveland, Kendal Thompkins, Eduardo Clements, Dyron Dye, Maurice Hagens and Herb Waters each have at least one grab.

TWO-MINUTE OFFENSE

• 13 of Miami’s 30 scoring drives this season have needed less than two minutes, including five that have needed less than 60 seconds.
• At Boston College, Miami had three scoring drives that lasted under two minutes, including a pair of drives that resulted in a Duke Johnson TD run of more than 50 yards.
• Seven of the 13 scoring drives have occurred in the last three ACC games. In Miami’s 44-37 home win over NC State, the Hurricanes had four scoring drives that needed less than 100 seconds — a 14-yard TD pass (0:42), a 24-yard TD pass (1:36), a 76-yard TD pass (1:12) and the game-winning 62-yard TD pass (0:29).

CANES GREATS KENNEDY, JOHNSON TO BE HONORED

• Pro Football Hall of Fame DE Cortez Kennedy and future College Football Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Johnson will be honored during Miami’s home game Nov. 1 vs. Virginia Tech.
• Kennedy, who was enshrined Aug. 4 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, became the fifth Miami Hurricane to earn the honor, joining Jim Otto (1980), Ted Hendricks (1990), Jim Kelly (2002) and Michael Irvin (2007).
• Kennedy registered 58 sacks and scored one touchdown on a fumble recovery in his 11-season career with the Seattle Seahawks. The No. 3 overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, Kennedy had a streak of 116 games played, earned selection to eight Pro Bowls (1992-97, 1999, 2000) and missed just nine games out of a possible 176 in his career. As a senior defensive tackle in 1989, he emerged as a dominant force on what many considered to be the nation’s top defensive line unit. Kennedy started all 12 games and his tenacious defense helped lead UM to a 11-1 season, a victory in the Sugar Bowl over Alabama and the 1989 National Championship. He earned second team AP All-American honors.
• Johnson, who coached the Hurricanes for five seasons from 1984-88, is one of 17 former players and coaches will be inducted Dec. 4 as part of the 2012 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. Johnson becomes the third coach from the Hurricanes to earn such an honor, joining Jack Harding (1980) and Andy Gustafson (1985).
• In his five seasons at UM, Johnson compiled a 52-9 record and guided the Canes to the 1987 National Championship. That season, Miami went a perfect 12-0 and defeated six nationally ranked teams, including a 20-14 victory over then-No. 1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Including his five seasons as the head coach of Oklahoma State, Johnson’s career collegiate record stands at 81-34-3.
• Johnson becomes the ninth man with ties to UM to be selected into the College Football Hall of Fame, including players Don Bosseler (1990), Ted Hendricks (1987), Gino Torretta (2009), Arnold Tucker (2008), and Bennie Blades (2006) and Russell Maryland (2011) – who both were coached by Johnson.