Miami vs. Virginia: Complete Game Preview

Miami heads to Virginia in a key matchup between two ACC Coastal division teams. The Hurricanes control their own destiny. With a victory at Virginia and a Duke loss to Georgia Tech next weekend, Miami would be the coastal division champion.

The Hurricanes and Cavaliers are coming off big ACC wins last weekend.

Miami beat Virginia Tech, 30-12, while Virginia destroyed North Carolina State, 33-6. It was the Cavaliers' first ACC win this season.

Here is a complete preview of Miami vs. Virginia.

Game Day Information

Who: Miami vs. Virginia

When: Saturday, 12:00 PM ET

Where: Charlottesville, VA

Stadium: Scott Stadium (61,500)

TV: ABC

Radio: WQAM 560 AM, WELE 1380 AM

Internet Stream: Canes All Access

Depth Chart for Miami

Position: Starter, Backup (as of Nov. 5, 2012)

OFFENSE

QB: Stephen Morris, Ryan Williams

FB: Maurice Hagens, Sean Harvey

RB: Mike James, Duke Johnson

TE: Clive Walford, Dyron Dye, Asante Cleveland

WR: Phillip Dorsett, Kendal Thompkins or Robert Lockhart Jr.

WR: Allen Hurns, Davon Johnson

WR: Rashawn Scott, Herb Waters

LT: Malcolm Bunche, Hunter Wells

LG: Jon Feliciano, Jeremy Lewis

C: Shane McDermott, Jared Wheeler

RG: Brandon Linder, Daniel Isidora

RT: Seantrel Henderson, Ereck Flowers

DEFENSE

DE: Anthony Chickillo, Jalen Grimble or Jelani Hamilton

DT: Earl Moore, Curtis Porter, Dequan Ivery

DT: Olsen Pierre, Luther Robinson or Corey King

DE: Shayon Green, Tyriq McCord or Ricardo Williams

OLB: Eddie Johnson, Thurston Armbrister

MLB: Jimmy Gaines, Raphael Kirby

OLB: Denzel Perryman or Gionni Paul,Tyrone Cornelius

CB: Ladarius Gunter, Tracy Howard or Thomas Finnie

CB: Brandon McGee, Antonio Crawford

S: A.J. Highsmith, Vaughn Telemaque

S: Deon Bush, Kacy Rodgers III

SPECIAL TEAMS

P: Dalton Botts, Jake Wieclaw

FG: Jake Wieclaw, Matt Goudis

KO: Jake Wieclaw, Matt Goudis

H: Dalton Botts, Ryan Williams

LS: Paul Kelly, Jimmy Gaines

SS: Paul Kelly, Brandon Linder

PR: Phillip Dorsett, Duke Johnson

KR: Phillip Dorsett, Duke Johnson

Injury Report (via USA Today):

DL: Curtis Porter - Appendix - Questionable

LB: Denzel Perryman - Ankle - Questionable

DB: Kacy Rodgers - Leg - Questionable

Out for the Season: Ramon Buchanan (lower extremity), Malcolm Lewis (lower extremity), Sean McNally (lower extremity), Eduardo Clements (undisclosed injury)

Depth Chart for Virginia

Position: Starter, Backup (as of Nov. 5, 2012)

OFFENSE

QB: Phillip Sims, Michael Rocco, David Watford

FB: Zachary Swanson, Billy Skrobacz, LoVante' Battle

TB: Perry Jones, Kevin Parks, Clifton Richardson, Khalek Shepherd

TE: Paul Freedman, Colter Phillips, Jake McGee

WR: Tim Smith, E.J. Scott

WR: Darius Jennings, Dominique Terrell

LT: Oday Aboushi, Kelby Johnson

LG: Conner Davis, Cody Wallace

C: Luke Bowanko, Matt Mihalik

RG: Sean Cascarano, Ross Burbank

RT: Morgan Moses, Jay Whitmore

DEFENSE

DE: Jake Snyder, Mike Moore

DT: Brent Urban, Justin Renfrow, David Dean

DT: Will Hill, Chris Brathwaite

DE: Eli Harold, Ausar Walcott

SLB: Dawuan Romero, Demeitre Brim, Henry Coley

MLB: Steve Greer, Kwontie Moore or Tucker Windle

WLB: La'Roy Reynolds, D.J. HIll

CB: Demetrious Nicholson, C.J. Moore

CB: Drequan Hoskey, Maurice Canady

SS: Brandon Phelps, Anthony Cooper

FS: Anthony Harris, Rijo Walker

SPECIAL TEAMS

P: Alec Vozenilek

FG: Drew Jarrett, Ian Frye

KO: Ian Frye

H: Jacob Hodges

LS: Matt Fortin

PR: Khalek Shepherd, Dominque Terrell, Demetrious Nicholson

KR: Khalek Sheperd, Clifton Richardson, LoVante' Battle

Injury Report (via USA Today):

WR: Brian Pomper - Lower Body - Day-to-Day

DE: Diamonte Bailey - Illness - Day-to-Day

OT: Nick Koutris - Lower Body - Day-to-Day

FB: Sammy MacFarlane - Lower Body - Day-to-Day

RB: Clifton Richardson - Illness - Day-to-Day

DE: Bill Schautz - Lower Body - Day-to-Day

What Happened to the Hurricanes Last Week?

Hurricane running back Duke Johnson tallied 217 all-purpose yards as Miami cruised by Virginia Tech, 30-12 on Thursday night. Duke carried the ball 11 times for 100 yards and a touchdown while returning two kickoff returns for 118 yards—including an 81-yard return in the first quarter.

Quarterback Stephen Morris completed 13-of-28 passes for 170 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His stats were solid, but he could have produced even better numbers if he would have hit his wide-open receivers throughout the night.

The Hurricanes defense created three turnovers including two interceptions of Hokie quarterback Logan Thomas.

What Happened to the Cavaliers Last Week?

Virginia's defense showed up Saturday, creating five turnovers in a 33-6 surprising rout of North Carolina State. It was just Virginia's third win of the season.

Defensive back C.J. Wilson picked off two passes while Tobais Palmer added another interception for the Cavaliers.

Cavalier running back Kevin Parks ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries as Virginia racked up 248 yards on the ground.

What It Means for Both Teams

Virginia will only try to become a spoiler team this weekend because it has already officially been eliminated from the ACC Coastal division title with four conference losses. Even if the Cavaliers were to win out, they would lose tiebreakers to Georgia Tech and Duke.

On the other hand, this is a must-win for the Hurricanes if they want to continue to control their own destiny for the coastal division. If the Hurricanes win this game and Duke loses to Georgia Tech next weekend, then Miami will be the coastal division champions.

Key Player for the Hurricanes: Stephen Morris, QB

I am going to keep Stephen Morris as the key player this week against Virginia. Even though Morris threw two touchdowns last Thursday against Virginia Tech, he needs to get better.

Morris struggled, missing wide open receivers all night, and even the announcers mentioned multiple times that Morris wasn't checking his reads correctly.

The Miami offensive line was less than stellar, but Morris needs to be more patient. It doesn't matter if you have an extremely strong arm if you can't make the correct reads.

The Hurricanes need a balanced attack to win on the road in the ACC, and it starts with the play of Morris.

Key Player for the Cavaliers: Kevin Parks, RB

Cavalier running back Kevin Parks will play a huge role Saturday against the Hurricanes. Parks is coming off a 115-yard performance last weekend against North Carolina State.

On the season, Parks has 618 yards and four touchdowns, but it's not a matter of how good he has been throughout the season—it's a matter of whom he is playing. The Hurricane rush defense is ranked No. 119 (out of 120 teams) in the country.

If the Cavaliers want any shot of upsetting the Hurricanes it will start with Parks. If he is unable to run the ball against this bad Hurricane front four, it will be a long day for Virginia.

The Hurricanes Will Win If...

The Hurricanes will win this game if they have a balanced attack on offense and stay on the field longer to allow the defense to rest.

Last week against the Hokies, the Hurricanes offense converted just 1-of-12 third downs and lost the time of possession stat, 34:21 to 24:39.

Miami must find a way to run the ball successfully and finish with much better third-down conversion numbers in order to come away with a victory.

Virginia's defense isn't that bad as it is ranked No. 34 in total defense, giving up just 341 yards per game. If the Hurricanes aren't able to be consistent on the ground and through the air, they could easily lose this game.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Hurricanes must keep Virginia out of the end zone. Last week against the Hokies, the Hurricanes gave up 421 yards of total offense, but limited Virginia Tech to just 12 points.

The Cavaliers Will Win If....

The Cavaliers will win this game if they play like they did against North Carolina State last weekend. The Cavalier defense completed destroyed the Wolfpack offense with six sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a safety.

Virginia's defense held North Carolina State to just 19 yards rushing on 24 carries. The Wolfpack was limited to just 216 total yards of offense.

The offense also played well racking up 446 yards of total offense including 248 on the ground.

It was by far, the most impressive win—and only one so far in the ACC—this season for the Cavaliers. If they play that well this weekend, they will get their second win in the ACC.

Prediction

Before last week's game against North Carolina State, I would have said that Virginia doesn't have a chance of beating the Hurricanes this Saturday.

After the 33-6 whooping the Cavaliers put on the Wolfpack, it completely changed my mind and I think that the Hurricanes will be in a tough battle.

Ignore the fact that Virginia has only one win in the ACC. In 2010, the Cavaliers' lone win in the ACC was to the No. 22-ranked Miami Hurricanes.

Virgina typically plays Miami well and this year will be no exception. However, I believe the Hurricanes are destined for that coastal division title.

Final Prediction: Miami 35, Virginia 31