The Hokies and Hurricanes face off during the 2009 game at Lane Stadium.
Virginia Tech and Miami will meet Saturday afternoon in Lane Stadium with any realistic hope of an ACC Championship on the line.
Both the Hokies and Hurricanes enter the game with 0-1 records in ACC play. The Hurricanes’ defeat came at the hands of Maryland on opening weekend in a thrilling fashion, 32-24.
Virginia Tech’s blow, meanwhile, came much more recently. Clemson embarrassed the Hokies 23-3 in Blacksburg last weekend.
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It was the first time since 2006 Tech failed to score a touchdown in game.
“Needless to say, this is a big ballgame. We’ve got to play better than we did last week, and that’s what we’re going to strive for,” said Frank Beamer, the Hokies’ head coach.
Miami brings in a team full of talent, but equally as much turmoil. A mid-August report by Yahoo! Sports found more than 70 current and former Hurricane football players had accepted illegal benefits ranging from cash payouts to prostitutes and seemingly everything in between.
With the future of the football program in doubt, new head coach Al Golden had his work cut out for him to keep the team’s focus on the field.
It’s been tough.
After beating a depleted Ohio State team to a pulp in a highly anticipated matchup on Sept. 17, the Hurricanes were stunned at home by Kansas State 28-24. Last week, Bethune-Cookman took a 7-0 lead against Miami and hung around until halftime it its first ever game against a major-college opponent.
The ‘Canes have yet to unveil a convincing performance. They are 10th in the ACC in total offense, eighth in total defense, 11th in turnover margin and ninth in time of possession.
Senior quarterback Jacory Harris won the starting job in fall camp over sophomore Stephen Morris. After missing the Maryland game due to suspension, Harris has completed 69 percent of his passes for 570 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. His decision-making has seemed dramatically improved from the past — his 15 interceptions in 2010 were the second most in the country.
A version of this article appeared in the Oct 6 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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