Three-List Game Preview: Virginia Football At Miami

The Virginia football team is bowl eligible.
Olamide Zaccheaus is within striking distance of the program’s single-season receptions record. ~ Kris Wright

When the Virginia football schedule was announced, it was pretty easy to look at the Hoos’ November games and see a challenging stretch run. Triple option Georgia Tech, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, a road trip to Miami, and the finale with Virginia Tech all in the space of 21 days is tough.

Even with that said, that forecast didn’t assume the showdown with the Hurricanes would be quite as daunting as it has shaped up to be. Miami enters this game within the top four for the College Football Playoff standings and ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, usually a harbinger for a bad UVA outcome.

Plus, the Canes are red hot. They’ve won 14 games in row dating back to October 2016, the longest winning streak among Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Miami has won those games by an average of 16.9 points. That includes two gems the past two weeks as the program rolled Virginia Tech, 28-10, and Notre Dame, 41-8.

All of that success has sent plenty of attention Miami’s way as it prepares for Virginia.

“I talked to them after practice [Wednesday] and just said – hey, I’m not going to sit here and ignore the fact that there’s a lot of great things happening here and there’s a lot of excitement around us, around the program,” Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said. “But we are the same team that started this season that was grinding and fighting and trying to find ways to win games. We’re the same team and if we forget that, then we are going to find ourselves being in trouble. We’re going to be playing an out standing team, a team that historically is giving Miami all of what we can handle. You know, we’ve got to be prepared for that.”

The Cavaliers could play the spoiler role in all of that hoopla, but that’s not the angle they’ll be talking up before Saturday. Virginia, as is coach Bronco Mendenhall’s M.O., is focused on becoming a more consistent team and program in the second year of his rebuilding effort. The Hoos are bowl eligible at 6-4, but have been on the rough end of some lopsided scores in three of the last four weeks.

“Not necessarily. It’s an awesome opportunity for our program to play another ACC opponent that’s having success. And I felt like we performed beneath our potential this past week,” Mendenhall said of the spoiler role. “And regardless of who we’re playing, I’m anxious to see that part increase. And it just so happens to be against a really good team and a game that matters, which is it’s fun to play in games that matter. And that’s the next step for this program is to learn, to play as close to your potential as you can week in, week out and just stay up there. Right now we’re a little bit up and we’re a little bit down. Not as wild as we were. But more so than what I would like.”

Virginia Football Essentials

Three Big Trends

1. Olamide Zaccheaus making catches. The UVA receiver has made a catch in 26 straight games. For the season, he’s grabbed 70 receptions and is within striking distance of the program’s single season record. He’s just five behind Taquan Mizell’s 2015 season total of 75 for second place and 13 behind Billy McMullen’s record of 83 in 2001. Zaccheaus has 727 yards and four touchdowns this season.

2. Limited success against The Associated Press top 5. Miami enters this week’s game at No. 2 in the Associated Press poll and that’s usually not good news for the Hoos. UVA owns a 2-22-1 record in program history against teams ranked in the AP top 5, including an 0-13 mark on the road.

3. Good defensive possessions. The UVA defense ranks No. 4 in the ACC (and No. 16 nationally) in three-and-outs forced per game at 4.7. The Cavalier D has forced a three-and-out on 35.9% of the possessions this season. Any stops against the Miami offense, three-and-out or otherwise, will be key in this game because points are likely going to be hard to come by for the Virginia offense. The Hurricanes enter the game averaging 32.6 points per game, while allowing just 16.6

Three Big Questions

1. Can Virginia protect the quarterback? The Cavaliers struggled to keep the pocket clean at Louisville in a blowout loss a week ago and the road gets tougher this week against the Hurricanes. Miami comes into this game ranked second in the nation in tackles for loss per game (8.8) and sacks per game (3.67). On the flipside, Virginia enters the contest ranked 50th in tackles for loss allowed per game at 5.50 and tied for 77th in sacks allowed at 2.10 per game. Considering the inconsistency issues that plague the Cavalier offense week to week, this is going to be a tough assignment on the road.

2. Will the tight end spot hurt the Hoos again? In several games this season, UVA’s defense has had trouble slowing down the tight end position. That started all the way back in the beginning against William & Mary and Indiana, but really hurt the Cavaliers against Boston College. Miami has a big weapon in Christopher Herndon IV and he’s coming off a good outing against Notre Dame. In that contest, he caught four passes for 30 yards. Earlier against Syracuse, he piled up 10 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. He needs seven yards to reach 1,000 for his career.

3. Turnover trouble? Miami has forced four turnovers in four straight games, the first time any time has done that since 2011. The Hurricanes have created 24 turnovers in nine games, which is tied for fifth nationally. Virginia, meanwhile, has dropped to 35th nationally in turnovers lost after hanging around the top 10 for a time earlier in this season. The Hoos have lost three fumbles and nine interceptions on the year.

Three Big Foes

1. Quarterback Malik Rosier. So far, he’s undefeated as the starting quarterback. That has the Hurricanes in the thick of the College Football Playoff hunt. Rosier ranks third in the ACC in passing yards per game (266.8) and fourth in passing efficiency (142.0). He’s passed for 300+ yards three times this season and he’s tallied 2,410 passing yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Rosier can run as well. He’s posted 339 rushing yards with four touchdowns.

2. Receiver Braxton Berrios. The Hurricanes’ leading receiver, he’s put up 38 catches for 484 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. That surpasses his previous two seasons combined. Berrios also completed one pass this season. He’s also dangerous in the punt return game, which has caused some issues for UVA at times this season. He averages 15.9 yards per return, which ranks sixth nationally just behind Pittsburgh’s Quadree Henderson and Hoo fans know how that one went.

3. Defensive back Jaquan Johnson. The junior has been named ACC Defensive Back of the Week the last two weeks in a row. Against Notre Dame last week, he posted eight tackles and an interception. For the season, Johnson leads the team with 66 tackles, including 40 unassisted stops. He has three interceptions, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery as well. Miami leads the ACC with 16 interceptions as a team.

Hey Remember When …

Canaan Severin made a ridiculous one-handed catch and the Hoos rolled past Miami.