Previewing Miami Hurricanes at Virginia Cavaliers
After a disappointing loss at home to Duke, Miami is looking to give themselves any sort of boost before their big homecoming matchup against the Seminoles. First, they must go into Charlottesville and take on the Cavaliers with a new signal caller behind center.
The Canes will likely be giving the start to Jake Garcia at quarterback, as Tyler Van Dyke's health seems in question after last game. We've seen the good with Garcia, such as the spark he brought to the offense against Middle Tennessee.
Unfortunately, we've also seen the bad with Garcia with his inexperience showing as he threw three interceptions and lacked ball security with two lost fumbles versus Duke. Miami and Garcia should be extra motivated to put that performance in the past and come out strong against Virginia.
Miami needs to protect the ball and improve on their red zone scoring. Defensively, Armstrong hasn't been great this year, but the Hurricanes still need to play well because Brennan Armstrong is a proven signal caller that threw for 4,449 yards last season. He could go off for a 400-yard passing day if the Canes have mental lapses in coverage and/or the pass rush falters.
Heading into the season, Virginia fans were excited to see where this team could go led by Armstrong. After a fantastic season that set the ACC on notice, Armstrong has been far from the player he was last season with six touchdowns and nine interceptions. Perhaps it's new coach Tony Elliot, coming from Clemson assuming he'd be able to improve on this team's 2021 record of 6-6.
When it comes to the strength of this Cavaliers team, it comes with their defense. They are the No. 43 scoring defense in the country by allowing 22.6 points per contest, as well as being No. 39 in yards allowed at 350.3. However, the offense for the Cavaliers does have some good playmakers at the receiver positions.
Some notable players to know include edge defender Chico Bennett Jr., linebacker Nick Jackson, and cornerback Anthony Johnson.
Bennett has been the ACC defensive player of the week two times for his efforts against Syracus and Georgia Tech. He has six sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss on the season.
Unlike Duke, who was great at forcing fumbles, Virginia doesn't excel at forcing turnovers. However, they do great at getting to the quarterback, which could put Miami in a pinch. Virginia averages 3.3 sacks per game, good for No. 15 in the country.
Still, the Cavaliers are just 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC for a reason. It's a struggling football team. If Miami is able to push aside last week's loss and come out strong like they did against Virginia Tech, there is an excellent chance to defeat Virginia.
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You can find Liam on Twitter @theleftyliam where he shares news on University of Miami basketball and football as well as opinions