Virginia football vs Miami GAME THREAD

HOW TO WATCH THE ‘HOOS:

Location: Miami, FL
Date: October 28th, 2023
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ACC Network
Streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Miami -18.5

Well, well, well, how the turntables. After starting the season 0-5, your Virginia Cavaliers have come roaring back with a pair of victories including one against #10 North Carolina last week. On the road again, the ‘Hoos will look to keep things rolling against Miami today. Ahead of kickoff, we previewed the matchup with three players, two matchups, and one prediction to watch.

A major component of last week’s upset was the extremely improved offensive line play. We covered how Terry Heffernan’s group dominated the Heels in the trenches and how that performance projects for the remainder of the season.

Heading into this afternoon’s matchup, Tony Elliott has emphasized embracing a honey badger mentality and remain disciplined despite the success that they’ve had the last couple weeks.

All of the rest of our UVA football coverage can be found here!

Kickoff is at 6:30 — leave your pre, in, and post-game thoughts here and be sure to check back in for plenty of mid and post game content later today, tomorrow, and next week!

We’ll also be active on Twitter throughout the game and all season long so follow along on their for our staff’s live reactions.

Streaking the Lawn — @STL_UVA

Zach Carey — @Zach_Carey_

Dan Siegel — @DanSiegel_

Ryan Reese — @HoosOn_First

Ben Wieland — @BenWieland

Paul Guttman — @Tiki_UVA

Corbin Lathrop — @CorbinLathrop

John Kurcina — @JohnKurcina

Here are a few game notes from UVA:

INSIDE SATURDAY’S MATCHUP

• Saturday will mark the 21st meeting between Miami and Virginia in a series that was first played in 1996. Last year in Charlottesville, the two teams played the longest game in UVA history, a four-overtime affair that ended in a 14-12 Hurricane victory.

• UVA has posted back-to-back 200-yard team rushing efforts and will square off against the top rushing defense in the ACC in Miami. The Hurricanes have allowed 79.6 rushing yards per game this season and only one opponent has rushed over 100 yards this season (North Carolina). The Cavaliers haven’t rushed for more than 200 yards in three straight games since 2004.

• Virginia has not won back-to-back games since the 2021 season when it started a four-game win streak with a 30-28 win at Miami and also snapped a six-game losing skid at Hard Rock Stadium in the process.

• After a 31-27 triumph over then-No. 10 North Carolina last week, Virginia is seeking back-to-back ACC road wins for the first time since 2021 when it downed Miami (30-28) and Louisville (34-33).

• Virginia’s receiving corps is led by Malik Washington, who was named the ACC Receiver of the Week for the second time this season. He ranks top-5 in the country in receiving yards (783) and receptions per game (8.0).

• Saturday will mark UVA’s second game in an NFL stadium this season. The Cavaliers squared off against Tennessee in Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, to open the 2023 season. Saturday will mark the 10th game in an NFL Stadium since the start of 2018 season. UVA is 3-6 in those contests

TOP STORYLINES

• Virginia is coming off its first ever road victory over an AP top-10 opponent after a 31-27 win over then-No. 10 North Carolina last Saturday in Chapel Hill. The Cavaliers were recognized as the Cheez-It National Team of Week and head coach Tony Elliott was named the Bobby Dodd Award Coach of the Week for their historic victory.

• Miami is receiving votes in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll after its 28-20 overtime win over Clemson last week. Of Virginia’s final five opponents, two are nationally ranked (No. 18 Louisville and No. 20 Duke) and three have at least five wins.

• Only two of UVA’s 12 opponents this season currently have a below .500 record – Georgia Tech (3-4) and Virginia Tech (3-4). South Carolina is the only other school in the country with more opponents (12) with a current .500 or better record.

• Virginia has owned double-digit leads in four of its seven games this season. The Cavaliers have been on the wrong end of three games decided by three points or less this season. In the first 17 games of Tony Elliott’s tenure, the Cavaliers have been a part of seven games decided by a field goal or less and are 1-6 in those contests.

• Five true freshmen, CB Dre Walker, WR Jaden Gibson, QB Anthony Colandrea, WR Suderian Harrison and LB Kam Robinson have started games for the Virginia this season. A total of 10 true freshmen have seen action this year and 25 Cavaliers have made their collegiate debuts.