Blue Ridge Bank Wahoo Preview: Virginia at No. 11 Miami

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Posted on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, 12:30 pm

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Virginia visits Hard Rock Stadium at 8 p.m. to take on 11th-ranked Miami, as the Cavaliers attempt to put an end to their three-game losing skid. The game will be televised by the ACC Network.

The Wahoos (1-3, 1-3 ACC) are also hoping to have starting quarterback Brennan Armstrong (concussion) back in the huddle, as the redshirt sophomore was seen doing light stretching at practice earlier this week. He was knocked out in the second quarter against NC State on Oct. 10.

The Hurricanes (4-1, 4-1) have taken four of the last five meetings against the Hoos, including a 17-9 victory on the same field last season. The Canes hold a slight 10-7 edge in the all-time series, but the two schools have split the last 14 meetings, 7-7.

UVA looks to bounce back after a couple of deflating losses, and will try to avoid the program’s first four-game losing streak since dropping the last four contests of the 2017 season.

If Armstrong is unable to play, Lindell Stone, Keytaon Thompson and Ira Armstead could again all be thrown into the mix, with the possibility of more than one of them being together on the field at the same time, like we saw last week against Wake Forest.

Virginia erased a 14-point, first-quarter deficit using that three-QB look against the Demon Deacons, as it seemed to really confuse their defenders. Stone got the vast majority of passing reps, while Thompson, who led the team in rushing, and Armstead ran the ball effectively after taking their respective snaps.

The Hoos simply can’t afford to fall behind early again, after being outscored 48-3 in the opening quarter this season. Virginia has bounced back in second quarters of games, outscoring opponents 51-30, but another slow start against a team of Miami’s caliber could be too much to rally back from.

Miami grad transfer quarterback D’Eriq King has been a major part of the team’s success after four years with the University of Houston. King, a talented, experienced, dual-threat athlete, has passed for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns so far in 2020, and he can beat you with his legs as well, rushing for 273 yards (5.2 per carry) and a pair of scores.

The key to slowing down the Miami offense will be applying heavy pressure on King and disrupting his rhythm, an area where UVA has seen its struggles.

Junior tight end Brevin Jordan is an NFL-ready talent at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds who leads the Hurricanes in the receiving department with 243 yards on just 18 catches, to go with his team-best 3 touchdown grabs.

King has spread it out to the rest of the receiving corps, as nine other wideouts and four running backs have played a part in the team’s success through the air.

Cam’Ron Harris is a hard-nosed, intelligent running back who has registered 338 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season. Harris can wiggle his way out of tackles in a variety of ways and has already posted a few long touchdown runs, so it will be of utmost importance for the Hoos to wrap him up effectively. His backup, freshman Donald Chaney Jr., is another back to keep a close eye on, as he already has a pair of collegiate touchdowns under his belt.

The Miami defense boasts another fast, talented group that has recorded 14 sacks and has busted out the Turnover Chain on numerous occasions, including after five interceptions.

In its second season under coach Manny Diaz, the U has defeated UAB (31-14), Louisville (47-34), Florida State (52-10) and Pitt (31-19), with the lone loss coming at top-ranked Clemson two weeks ago, 42-17.

The Hoos are a 14-point underdog under the lights in South Beach this evening.

Here’s a look at where each team ranks in the statistical categories of the 15-team ACC:

For more, check out our Wahoo World podcast for an in-depth look at Saturday’s game and the quarterback situation, plus a recap of the Wake loss and preview of this weekend’s ACC contests.

The Breakdown

Below you’ll find the complete statistical comparison between the Cavaliers and Hurricanes:

The Coaches

UVA — Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall
5th season at Virginia (26-30); 16th season overall (125-73); Record vs. Miami: 1-3

Bronco Mendenhall (Photo: Matt Riley, UVA Athletics)

Assistant Coaches:
Offensive Coordinator/Inside Receivers — Robert Anae
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary — Nick Howell
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers — Kelly Poppinga
Running Backs — Mark Atuaia
Quarterbacks — Jason Beck
Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends — Ricky Brumfield
Wide Receivers — Marques Hagans
Inside Linebackers — Shane Hunter
Defensive Line — Clint Sintim
Offensive Line — Garett Tujague

Miami — Head Coach Manny Diaz
2nd season at Miami and overall (10-8); Record vs. UVA: 1-0

Manny Diaz (Photo: ACC Media Services)

Assistant Coaches:
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks — Rhett Lashlee
Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers — Blake Baker
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties — Ephraim Banda
Offensive Line — Garin Justice
Special Teams Coordinator/Strikers — Jonathan Patke
Assistant HC/Defensive Line — Todd Stroud
Cornerbacks — Mike Rumph
Running Backs — Eric Hickson
Tight Ends — Stephen Field
Wide Receivers — Rob Likens

Broadcast Information

ACC NetworkTV: ACC Network
Announcers: Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Katie George (sideline)
Radio: Virginia Sports Network
Announcers: Dave Koehn (play-by-play), Tony Covington (analyst)
Satellite Radio:
Sirius Channel — 137
XM Channel — 383
Internet Channel — 973

Kickoff Forecast

Cloudy, 78 degrees
Precipitation — 43%
Wind — ESE 8 mph
Humidity — 83%
(Courtesy AccuWeather)

The Depth Charts

Virginia:

Click to enlarge

Miami:

UVA Offensive Player Stats

UVA Defensive Player Stats

UVA Special Teams Stats

ACC Standings/Schedule

The Uniforms

Virginia: Blue helmets, White jerseys, White pants

Miami: White helmets, Orange jerseys, White pants

Game Tape

Highlights from each team’s last contest

Virginia — lost to Wake Forest, 40-23:

Miami — defeated Pitt, 31-19:

Game-Week Links

In case you missed any of our coverage from this week, we’ve got you covered. Click on any link below to catch up:

All eyes on Virginia’s defense as it tries to regain its swag in Miami

Armstrong returns to practice, but will he get the green light for Miami?

UVA’s Snowden: Big plays are killing us

Armstrong yet to be cleared as of Monday, as Wahoos prep for Miami