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With the heartbreaking loss to Georgia Tech, Miami has only one thing left to play for: Pride. While they don't have much of it left, a statement game against Virginia Tech would be a great start, especially for homecoming. On paper the teams are about as evenly matched offensively as any other team, with one glaring difference, total points. All year Miami has had issues finishing, especially on the drives after their initial scoring drive. In many games this year Miami has gotten off to a quick start, and then sputtered the remainder of the game. This has produced three losses and 2 not so impressive wins (against Houston and Duke).
I would love to blame Kyle Wright, and have an easy excuse for the Hurricanes offensive woes, but his stats really aren't that bad. They are in fact comparable to Boston College's QB, BC going 7-1 this year. The difference is two things, turnovers and penalties. So many key costly mistakes have cost Miami all of it's games this season, including a fumble in both the Louisville and GaTech game leading to a field goal and a touchdown, and in the end, a loss. Miami seems unable to focus this year, and the best we can hope for now is winning enough to get to a decent bowl, and hope that next year these nerves have disappeared.
Although this game doesn't even hold ACC title implications (unless Duke of North Carolina, as well as one other ACC team, can beat GaTech), but for both programs future this is a pivotal game. If Miami can't find a way to win, it could send the program into a spiral that may see them not even bowl eligable. That's how fragile the psyche of this team is, one more loss and they may not be able to win again this season.
The defense, for its part, has been brilliant this season, and it truly seems a waste. Such great numbers equating to 3 losses doesn't seem fair, and in the case of the Louisville and GaTech game even more so. The 31, and for GaTech 30, points scored in those games was no indication of how dominant this Miami defense is. In both games Miami held the opponent to 13 points or under in the first half, with the offense failing to capitalize and failing to secure the ball long enough to allow the defense to rest. With that, expect the defense to give the same performance, especially in the first half.
If the offense is somehow able to find it's rythym the game could get ugly, just as the Louisville and GaTech games had the potential to do so. I don't see that much cohesiveness, but being that it is homecoming, I'm hoping to see a bit more fire in the offense, enough for Miami to get a running game going, and enough to score a bit. Final prediction:
Miami-14
VaTech-10
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