Miami vs. Virginia Tech Football 2009
No. 9 Hurricanes, No. 11 Hokies Meet in Key ACC Game
The 3:30 p.m. EST contest will be just the third of the season for the Hurricanes. But it will also mark the third time that Miami meets a ranked foe in a conference game.
Miami opened the season with a 38-34 victory over No. 18 Florida State, then followed up last week with a 33-17 triumph over then-No. 14 Georgia Tech. So the Hurricanes aren't just 2-0 overall, they're already 2-0 in conference.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, will be playing its first ACC game. But the Hokies (2-1) have faced rugged competition as well.
They lost their season opener 34-24 to No. 3 Alabama, routed Marshall 52-10, then pulled out an exciting 16-15 win over No. 25 Nebraska last weekend. Stymied for most of the day, Tech finally pulled ahead on Tyrod Taylor's 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts with 21 seconds left.
Miami, in addition to facing ranked teams in its first three games, is scheduled to play No. 10 Oklahoma in its fourth game, on Oct. 3.
At least the Hurricanes have extra preparation time for their matchup with Virginia Tech. While the Hokies were battling Nebraska, Miami was already resting from its win over Georgia Tech the previous Thursday.
Saturday's matchup will be telecast by ABC.
Young Receivers Look to Step Up for Virginia Tech
As thrilling as last week's comeback victory was, it couldn't hide the fact that Virginia Tech offense was pretty stagnant until its final drive.
The Hokies, averaging 346 yards per game on the season, finished with 278 vs. Nebraska. And 81 came on one play -- Taylor's pass to Danny Coale, which set up the winning TD.
But coach Frank Beamer's Hokies delivered when the game was on the line – no small accomplishment considering how many youngsters were in key positions.
Taylor, a junior second-year starter, is 30-of-61 for 444 yards while passing to a youthful group of receivers this season. The junior second-year starter has thrown three touchdowns and one interception.
Jarrett Boykin leads the Hokies with nine receptions for 94 yards, with fellow sophomore Coale adding five catches for 148 yards. Sophomore Roberts has caught two of the Hokies' three TD passes, and freshman tailback Ryan Williams has receptions catches for 80 yards.
Freshman Williams Leads Hokies Ground Game
But Williams is doing his best work running the ball, recording 342 yards and six touchdowns on 50 carries. Williams, who's stepped in for injured star Darren Evans, had 21 carries for 107 yards and a TD vs. Nebraska.
Another freshman, David Wilson, has displayed nice moves as well, running for 165 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries vs. Marshall.
Additional points have been provided by Tech's return teams. Freshman Jayron Hosley is averaging 21 yards per punt return, including a 64-yard touchdown vs. Marshall. Roberts has amassed 290 yards on his six kickoff returns for a whopping 48.3 average. He scored on a 98-yard return vs. Alabama.
Virginia Tech Aims to Tighten Run Defense
The Virginia Tech defense is giving up 364.3 yards per game, including 200.3 on the ground. So the Hokies have obviously been doing some bending.
The good news is that Tech didn't break at all last week, giving up 169 yards to Nebraska back Roy Helu Jr. but limiting Nebraska to five field goals. And the Hokies did an excellent job shutting down Cornhuskers QB Zac Lee.
Two sophomore linebackers are leading the team in tackles. Barquell Rivers has recorded 27 and Jake Johnson has 24.
Linebacker Cody Grimm is third on the team with 20 tackles, along with two forced fumbles, and defensive end Nekos Brown has 13 tackles.
The Hokies, although they've mounted heavy pressure with the likes of Brown and fellow defensive end Jason Worilds, are averaging just one sack per game. They'll be facing a team that's given up just one in its two contests.
Jacory Harris Stellar in Miami Victories
With quarterback Jacory Harris leading the way, Miami's managed to put up 465 yards per game, including 328 through the air.
Harris has completed 41 of 59 of his passes -- just a shade under 70 percent – for 656 yards and five touchdowns. He's been intercepted twice, both by Florida State.
The sophomore's thrown to a variety receivers, including sophomore Travis Benjamin (7 receptions for 157 yards, 1 TD), Leonard Hankerson (5 catches, 107 yards), tight end Dedrick Epps (5 catches, 83 yards) and sophomore LaRon Byrd (5 receptions, 83 yards).
Running backs Graig Cooper and Javarris James also has five catches, with the Cooper making one TD grab. Cooper also leads the team with 124 rushing yards on 24 carries, including one touchdown. James has also carried 24 times, gaining 108 yards and scoring twice.
While the Hurricanes have compiled some impressive statistics, there's one bad one that stands out. They've committed 18 penalties for 148 yards.
Hurricanes Defense Solid in 2nd Game
After getting moved around by Florida State in the season-opening shootout, Miami's defense gave up just 229 yards to Georgia Tech. And the Hurricanes held the Yellow Jackets' spread option attack to just
95 yards rushing
Overall, Miami's yielding 316 yards per game, with 213.5 coming through the air.
Sophomore cornerback Brandon Harris is at the top of Miami's tackling list with 13, and he's also broken up five tackles. Linebackers Darryl Sharpton and Colin McCarthy have 12 tackles apiece for the Hurricanes, and cornerback Sam Shields has 10.
Freshman defensive lineman Olivier Vernon was a monster vs. Georgia Tech, making three tackles for losses. He has seven tackles, four for losses, this season.
Coach Randy Shannon's team has registered four sacks over its first two games.
Miami-Virginia Tech Series History
The Hurricanes hold a 17-9 edge over Virginia Tech in a series that began in 1953. Miami actually won the first 12 games, with Virginia Tech notching its first win over the Hurricanes in 1995. That began a string of five consecutive victories by the Hokies.
Since 2000, Miami's held a 5-4 edge, with the last victory being a 16-14 decision last year at home.
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