NCAA Football Preview: Stephen Morris' Canes Take On The Hokies In Miami
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 20, 2010
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
TV/Radio: ESPN, WQAM 560
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Last Week: Miami beat Georgia Tech 35-10, Virginia Tech beat North Carolina 26-10
Spread: Virginia Tech by 2.
Notes
- Jacory Harris has been ruled out.
- Miami debuts their Nike Pro Combat uniforms
- If Miami wins they would still need Virginia Tech to lose to Virginia next week to get into the ACC Championship game.
When Miami has the ball
Stephen Morris will make his second consecutive start in the absence of Jacory Harris. This is by far his biggest challenge to date.
Miami has been dominant on the ground lately and will look to establish the run this week with their trio of backs in Damien Berry, Lamar Miller, and Mike James. Tech ranks 65th in the nation in rush defense and 21st in the nation in pass defense.
Star receiver Leonard Hankerson is one touchdown away from breaking Michael Irvin’s season record of 11.
When Virginia Tech has the ball
Tyrod Taylor is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football. He has 18 touchdowns against four interceptions on the season with a 61.2 completion rate. He can also make plays with his legs and has 581 yards and three touchdowns on the ground this year.
The Hokies are a running team first and foremost led by sophomore back Darren Evans who is averaging 5.7 yards per carry. As a team, they rank 19th in the nation in yards per game at 209.
Miami hasn’t been great against the run this year and must establish themselves at the line of scrimmage.
Prediction
This is Miami’s most difficult home game of the season. Virginia Tech is dangerous because of their ability to dominate on the ground.
If Miami can’t run efficiently and the game is solely in the hands of Morris, it will get interesting. Is the freshman quarterback up to the challenge?
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