After cruising in the second half to a win over in-state adversary USF on Saturday, the seventh-ranked Miami Hurricanes football team prepares to face their first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent in the Virginia Tech Hokies at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night.
This will be the first meeting between the Hokies and Hurricanes since 2022. It was previously featured as an annual rivalry between the schools who were both members of the ACC’s Coastal Division. Although the Hokies are no longer on the schedule every year for the ‘Canes, it has been considered a rivalry by some amongst the program as Virginia Tech consistently has been one of the better teams across the ACC. Miami leads the all-time series 25-15.
The Hokies came into the year with very lofty expectations, with some analysts such as Pat McAfee predicting that they would win the ACC and grab a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff.
However, these goals were quickly washed away for the Hokies, who lost in Week 1 to Vanderbilt, falling 34-27 in overtime in the matchup on August 31. After rattling off two ensuing wins against Marshall and Old Dominion, the Hokie squad led by third year Head Coach Brent Pry fell 26-23 last Saturday against Big Ten opponent Rutgers.
In spite of their rocky start, Virginia Tech is without a doubt the best team on paper that the Hurricanes will have faced up to this point in their 2024 campaign.
Coach Mario Cristobal told reporters Monday that Virginia Tech is “one of [Miami’s] storied rivals” who “are as talented as anybody that we have faced, and then some.”
“They’re very organized, they’re really good tacklers. On defense, they’re long; a lot of athletic ability, a lot of speed…They’re a loaded football team. Their quarterback is an extremely explosive, dangerous, accurate player; a great leader.”
Kyron Drones, the Hokies’ starting quarterback who is actually a cousin of Miami’s Cam Ward, has been nationally recognized and was on multiple preseason Heisman Trophy watchlists. As Coach Cristobal pointed out, he can make plays all over the field and create many problems for defenses.
Drones has thrown for 765 yards through four games and is second on the team in rushing, with 209 yards on 52 carries. He only trails senior running Back Bhayshul Tuten, who has 391 yards on 67 carries.
However, the Hurricanes defense appears to be as stout as ever. Led by Francisco Mauigoa and Simeon Barrow Jr., the unit has yet to allow more than 17 points in a game this season. The group stifled the USF offense led by a similarly explosive quarterback in Byrum Brown.
Additionally, preseason all-ACC defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. could possibly return Friday night, Coach Cristobal told WQAM’s “The Joe Rose Show.” It would be a big help for the ‘Canes to get back one of their stars before moving into the toughest part of their season.
As always, look for quarterback Cam Ward and star receiver Xavier Restrepo to utilize their dynamic connection down the field. On the season, Restrepo has reeled in 20 catches for 362 yards and five touchdowns.
As the ‘Canes have continued to stack wins in their 2024 campaign, expect a large crowd on hand for Friday night’s ACC duel. With no other ranked college football teams playing Friday, expect the eyes of the nation to be on the ‘Canes also.
The game kicks off at 7:30 PM Friday, September 25. The game will air on ESPN.