Miami Hurricanes vs. Virginia Cavaliers: Picks and Predictions
Miami pulled off a monumental victory on the recruiting trail on Thursday night. Can the Hurricanes (3-4, 1-2 ACC) earn another win two days later when they head to Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers (3-4, 1-3 ACC)?
Miami is considered a two-point favorite over Virginia in Week 9, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 48 points.
You can find All Hurricanes' picks and predictions for the matchup below.
Liam Willerup (5-2): Miami 23, Virginia 20
Let’s hope Miami can ride high after the Cormani McClain commitment and bring home a win this weekend. While he hasn’t been too impressive, Miami needs to limit Brennan Armstrong through the air and on the ground. The X-Factor will be how well Jake Garcia can perform in place of Tyler Van Dyke. If Garcia can provide juice to this offense and Miami can continue to make plays at the LOS, Miami positions itself to win this game.
Zach Goodall (5-2): Virginia 21, Miami 20
Jake Garcia's first start with the Miami Hurricanes will come against a Virginia team, on the road, that owns the ACC's fourth-best passing defense and allows a respectable 22.6 points per game this season. Not exactly the easiest first task as a first-team signal-caller.
That's why I see a couple of Miami's scoring drives being stopped short of six points, resulting in field goals where touchdowns will be much-needed. Miami's offense, even when Tyler Van Dyke was available and improving his play, has not inspired me enough to come up clutch in a hostile environment, particularly with a backup in at quarterback.
A rookie mistake will result in a turnover in some capacity that benefits the Cavaliers, as well, by setting up one of Virginia's few scoring opportunities on the day. It'll be enough to hand Miami its fifth loss of the year.
Alex Donno (4-3): Miami 23, Virginia 21
The Hurricanes are winning big off the field in the form of a verbal commitment from elite cornerback Cormani McClain. Some wins on the field would be nice, too!
Even with backup quarterback Jake Garcia under center, Miami should be good enough to beat the Virginia Cavaliers. UVA is 11th in the ACC against the run and quarterback Brennan Armstrong leads the conference with nine interceptions thrown. They are not a good football team.
Neither is Miami, so this one will be a battle.
Miami will need to hope Henry Parrish can make some solid runs behind a banged-up offensive line. They’ll need to protect Garcia just well enough to give him time to find top receiver Colbie Young down the field. It won’t be pretty but Miami will win a close one.
Luke Chaney (4-3): Miami 21, Virginia 10
To say that Virginia's offense has had a difficult time adjusting to first-year head coach Tony Elliott's system would be an understatement. The unit has failed to eclipse the 20-point mark in every game this season. I expect that trend to continue this weekend against an inconsistent Miami defense, which has been led by an excellent pass rush and a strong run defense.
I do not have high expectations for the Hurricanes' middling offense, but I expect them to do just enough for Miami to grab a comfortable double-digit win.
Collier Logan (4-3): Miami 23, Virginia 17
Miami has won just one road game and the Canes don't exactly have a ton of momentum heading into this week's conference clash at Virginia. The Hurricanes will be without their star quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and putting up points might be more difficult in this one. Virginia's not exactly a juggernaut though, ranking 123rd in scoring offense this year. That bodes well for the Canes' defense, but the real question that Miami will have to answer is on the other side of the ball.
Do I think Miami's going to break 30 points? Probably not. But I also don't think that Virginia can break 20, which the Cavaliers have only done once all season, and that was against (FCS) Richmond. Against my better judgment or maybe because I like to hurt myself, I'm picking the Hurricanes again. It's not that the Hurricanes are that good, but Virginia really might be that bad.
Rowdy Baribeau (4-3): Miami 26, Virginia 24
This is the first game I've projected Miami to not score 30 points. I do believe the Canes have the potential to be a 30 points per game team, but they haven't shown it. Since they haven't, I'm going with a somewhat odd prediction for UM.
I think the Canes will do exactly what they did to start against Duke. I can see Miami generating a turnover to get a score or the offense simply scores on the first drive of the game.
However, I think we see a lot of Andres Borregales — maybe three to four times. The biggest thing the Canes must do is contain UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong. Armstrong came into the year projected to be one of the ACC's best quarterbacks. Statistically, he's been one of the worst.
If Miami allows Armstrong to have a good game, it could turn into another disastrous showing for the Canes. It would also truly expose Miami's defense as being an easy defense to score on, especially considering UVA is only mustering 17.6 points per game offensively.
I do think that Miami is able to bounce back against the Cavaliers and it will come down to Jake Garcia and Borregales and if they can come in clutch when their numbers are called.
Anna Sapio (4-3): Miami 27, Virginia 23
The Hurricanes are looking to get back on track without starting quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke (shoulder Injury). Jake Garcia will be replacing Van Dyke at quarterback versus Virginia. For the Canes to come out victorious on the road, they are going to have to establish the run game. Also, over the past couple of weeks, JUCO signee Colbie Young has made an immense impact on the offensive of the ball. The Canes can come out with a victory if he continues to do so.
Brian Smith (3-4): Virginia 24, Miami 17
Look for Miami to play quality defense, holding Virginia to under 350 total yards. The bigger concern stems from getting turnovers. If the Canes do not generate short fields for first-time starting signal caller Jake Garcia, it’s going to be hard to place enough points on the scoreboard and come out with a victory.
Miami’s offensive line woes, mainly due to injuries, is going to be an issue as well. Garcia needs all the help he can receive, and Virginia’s pass rush is No. 15 in the land with 3.3 sacks per game. That does not bode well for the Hurricanes.
Garcia will have some big plays, but he’s also going to be under duress. He’s not ready for that just yet, and it’s going to lead to Miami struggling to sustain drives and finish in the red zone.
John Garcia, Jr. (3-1): Miami 30, Virginia 21
Miami is borderline desperate at this point, with a struggling defense and backup QB at the helm. Yet somehow Virginia has more issues than that on its current roster under their own first-year head coach. The Hurricane offense should prove balanced and certainly protect the ball better than last weekend en route to a road win.
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