UM at Virginia Tech: Matchups to Watch
By David Villavicencio
HurricanesSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Canes hit the road for the final time in the 2018 regular season and it is to a familiar and hostile environment.
Coming off a 27-21 loss at Georgia Tech last time out on Nov. 10, Miami continue its month of November with a trip to Blacksburg, Va., to play Virginia Tech, looking for its first win at Lane Stadium since 2014. Kickoff for Miami’s road finale and another ACC Coastal tilt is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Miami carries a 21-14 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, but trail in games played in Blacksburg by a slight margin of 8-6. Ranked No. 6 in last year’s matchup and facing off against No. 13 VT, Miami won 28-10 at Hard Rock Stadium in a crucial Coastal Division game. The Hurricanes dropped their only trip to Lane Stadium under Mark Richt, falling, 37-16, on Oct. 20, 2016; Richt has a 2-1 all-time record vs. VT.
Virginia Tech is under the direction of third-year coach Justin Fuente, who has compiled a 23-13 record at VT and a 49-35 record as head coach. The Hokies are coming off three straight losses entering Saturday’s matchup, including a 52-22 defeat to Pittsburgh last time out on Nov. 10. The Va Tech offense is led by quarterback Ryan Willis (1,770 passing yards, 19 total TDs), running back Steven Peoples (546 rushing yards, 5 TDs) and wide receiver Damon Hazelton (40 catches, 687 yards, 8 TDs). The Hokies defense is led by linebacker Rayshard Ashby (63 total tackles) and linebacker Houshun Gaines (4.5 sacks).
Here are three matchups to watch in Saturday’s game.
Miami’s defense vs. Virginia Tech’s QB Ryan Willis
The Hurricanes have been excellent defensively in 2018 and this week should prove to be no different. Miami leads the country in tackles for loss and ranks second in passing yards allowed. The Canes are also fourth in team passing efficiency defense and fourth in total defense nationally, showing they make opponent earn every yard when they are on the field. Miami’s defense has been especially stout on quarterbacks, holding opponents to an ACC-low 134.3 passing yards per game – the second-lowest mark in FBS.
Virginia Tech’s Ryan Willis will face a stout defense when he takes the field at Lane Stadium, but the redshirt junior has proven to be a capable leader on offense. Willis is tied for fourth in the ACC with 16 passing touchdowns, despite playing in only eight games this season. He has started in five of Tech’s six ACC contests in 2018, completing 61.5 percent of his passes with 13 TDs and only three INTs with a 150.5 rating. Willis has rushed 57 times for 229 yards with two TDs in ACC play. He’s Tech’s second-leading rusher on the season with 282 yards. He ranks fourth in the ACC in passing ypg (221.2) and passer rating (141.4), while ranking fifth in total offense (256.5 ypg).
“They’re averaging 29.8 [points per game],” Miami head coach Mark Richt said. “They’re averaging 431 yards per game. They’re averaging 261 yards per game through the air and they have 21 touchdown passes with only five picks. They rank first in the ACC and 10th nationally in red zone offense with 20 touchdowns in 27 trips. They’ve scored [on] 25 out of 27 [trips] overall.”
Miami’s running game vs. Virginia Tech’s run defense
The Hurricanes have a pair of very talented running backs in Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas and this Saturday could prove to be another big game for them. Homer, who is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, is eighth in the ACC with 732 rushing yards on the year. Dallas ranks 17th in the conference with 562 rushing yards and is averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Miami also will look to get freshman Cam’Ron Davis more involved in its ground attack, especially after Davis impressed a week ago at Georgia Tech and scored his first touchdown as a Cane.
“I was very proud of him,” Homer said of Davis. “I thought it was great for him to get his first touchdown. I hope there are many more to come.”
The Hokies have struggled to stop the run in 2018, ranking 12thin the ACC while allowing 212.7 yards per game on the ground. Virginia Tech has also allowed 24 rushing touchdowns, second-most in the ACC, and that is something the Hurricanes will look to exploit. Linebacker Rayshard Ashby leads VT in tackles with 63 and he and his teammates will look to limit Miami’s effectiveness on the ground.
Miami QB N’Kosi Perry vs. Virginia Tech’s defense
N’Kosi Perry had one of his most impressive performances a week ago at Georgia Tech, completing 60 percent of his passes (14-for-23) for 165 yards. While the numbers may not be gaudy, the redshirt freshman showed poise, leadership and confidence and those qualities are encouraging as he heads to the hostile Lane Stadium on Saturday.
“I think he ran the offense well,” offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said. “I thought he definitely looked poised and relaxed in the pocket. I thought he threw the ball well. There were a couple that he probably would want to have back. A few mistakes; the cut off the snap deal that happened on the short yardage play. But I thought he played his butt off. Gave us a chance by putting the ball in play. Didn’t give up any sacks. We did a good job of protecting him for the most part; O-line and running back wise. Also, he did a really good job to kind of avoid some sacks that kind of happened earlier in the game. But just giving him the chance to play ball and put the ball in play and let our receivers make plays.”
While Miami would like to see continue growth and improvement from its young quarterback, legendary Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster will surely have plenty of disguised looks and unique blitz packages waiting for Perry when he takes the field. Add in the potential for a rowdy crowd at Lane Stadium and Perry will need to be especially focused and ready if he hopes to continue his success.
