Mistakes, Miami Spoil the Scott Stadium Party

Marques Hagans ran for 85 yards but threw for just 94.

The stakes were high, the crowd was huge and the atmosphere was electric for Virginia’s biggest home game in many years. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers weren’t able to rise to the occasion. Too many errant throws, dropped passes, missed tackles and – most disastrous – shoddy punt coverage doomed No. 10 UVa in a 31-21 loss to No. 18 Miami.

Rather than stay on course for an ACC title and BCS berth, Virginia (7-2, 4-2 ACC) fell out of first and into a third-place tie with the Hurricanes in the conference standings. With two tough road games remaining, this loss deflated a record crowd of 63,701 watching the Cavs for the final time this season at Scott Stadium.

“Our expectations were that we would have played better tonight,” said UVa coach Al Groh, whose team had won 16 of its previous 17 home games.

The Cavaliers never led but they stayed close, thanks to Miami’s mistakes and a strong running game that produced 221 yards and two touchdowns. Alvin Pearman rushed for 106 yards, including a 34-yard TD, and Marques Hagans scrambled for 85 yards. Hagans completed just 10 of 25 passes for 94 yards, however, and was intercepted twice. His receivers dropped several balls, though the Hurricanes were even worse in that respect, dropping at least eight passes.

Ahmad Brooks made 12 tackles for the Cavaliers.

Frank Gore rushed 28 times for 195 yards against a Virginia defense missing nose tackle Andrew Hoffman, who suffered a concussion on the first series and did not return. Brock Berlin threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-clinching 25-yard strike to Roscoe Parrish on fourth down with 51 seconds left.

Before that, Parrish was a game-breaker on special teams. He returned one Sean Johnson punt 45 yards in the second quarter, setting up a touchdown. Later he broke down the sideline for a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown, giving Miami a 24-14 lead with 7:03 left in the game.

Now the Cavaliers, who can still share the ACC title by winning their final two games, must regroup before facing Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech on the road. Kickoff for next Saturday’s game in Atlanta has been scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be regionally televised by ABC.