In the midst of a three-game losing streak, the Miami Hurricanes (2-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will need to prevent the season from capsizing when they visit the Virginia Tech Hokies (2-4, 1-2 ACC) this Saturday.
“Came up short, disappointing. Played hard, showed resiliency, good responses, critical errors,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said after last Saturday’s loss to North Carolina.
The ‘Canes will walk into a crowded Lane Stadium on Saturday with no shortage of challenges to overcome.
“Anytime you’re in an environment like this you practice with noise,” Cristobal said. “They’ve got a great atmosphere, lot of energy lot of enthusiasm, they play great at home.”
Miami lost its last matchup against North Carolina, 27-24, in Week 6. The loss comes after a disappointing upset defeat to Middle Tennessee State and a road loss to Texas A&M.
Though UM is reeling, sophomore signal caller Tyler Van Dyke looked much improved last weekend. Throwing 57 times, Van Dyke was only intercepted once while completing 42 throws for 496 yards and three touchdowns.
“We need to execute better and maybe scheme up better,” Van Dyke said. “We can move the ball just fine; we’re just having trouble scoring right now in the red zone.”
Tight end Will Mallory had a big week, as well, catching eight passes for 115 yards. Slot receiver and South Florida native Brashard Smith also caught five passes for 59 yards.
Additionally, Van Dyke may have a good chance to put up another solid week. Virginia Tech has allowed a total of 26 points per game, 10th in the conference. Against their three conference opponents in Boston College, North Carolina and Pittsburgh, the Hokies are allowing 229.3 yards per game through the air, which is eight in the ACC.
“I think we made a great step in the right direction in the pass game,” Van Dyke said.
Miami will look to improve its yardage on the ground after being unable to create big enough holes for the running backs in recent games. The Hurricanes ran the ball for 1.6 yards per carry against MTSU. Looking to recover against the Tar Heels, the team only slightly improved to gain 1.8 yards per carry, rushing for 42 yards in 24 rushing attempts.
“We are out of sync in the run game,” Cristobal said. “We’ve got to always block better and use better workout technique and fundamentals.”
The Hurricanes running backs seemed to have more impact in the passing game. Starting halfback and Ole Miss transfer Henry Parrish Jr. caught seven passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.
With a three-game losing streak of their own, the Hokies will look to produce on both ends after giving up over 40 points in two straight losses.
Virginia Tech’s offense ranks 116th in the country, scoring 20 points a game. Junior and Marshall transfer Grant Wells has had trouble in the pocket. With a 6:7 touchdown to interception ratio, Wells has completed under 60% of his throws.
Of the few bright spots, wide receiver Kaleb Smith will be a problem for Miami to solve. Smith is averaging 16.1 yards per catch and leads the team with 25 receptions and 402 receiving yards.
“Offensively, they present a lot of challenges because formationally, assignment-wise, and explosive player-wise they’ve got a great mix,” Cristobal said.
The Hokies have had similar struggles to UM on the ground as they rank 13th in the conference with 112.2 rushing yards per game. The squad from Blacksburg only gained 2.82 yards per carry against North Carolina.
With the risk of dropping four-straight games for the first time since 2018, Miami will need a victory to ensure any sense of confidence before returning home for a matchup against the Duke Blue Devils.
“We’re expecting a great challenge,” Cristobal said. “We’ve got to be at our best.”
Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va.