After a bye week, Virginia returns to action against No. 16 Miami. The Hurricanes are one of the top teams in the conference and the country, which promises to be a challenging game for Virginia. The Cavalier Daily Sports staff takes a look at some players and keys to the game that could help the Cavaliers pull off the upset and get their first win in the series since 2014.
Players to watch
Virginia linebacker Robert Snyder
With the linebacker position missing senior Malcolm Cook and junior Jordan Mack due to injuries, Robert Snyder will have increased responsibility against the Hurricanes. Snyder showed he is ready to handle this greater role when in his first career-start, he put up a career-high seven tackles against N.C. State. At a press conference on Monday, Oct. 8, Virginia Coach Bronco Mendenhall said, “I’m completely comfortable with Rob ... I'm not comfortable with the depth of the position,” demonstrating that he’s relying on Snyder to step up in a spot where the Cavaliers are spread pretty thin.
Virginia running back Jordan Ellis
Virginia needs a balanced attack on offense to beat the Hurricanes. Ellis is the key to this balance. The senior back has the grit and elusiveness to pace the Cavaliers’ offense. Ellis is averaging a monster 5.7 yards per carry this season. In Virginia’s three wins, Ellis had 19 or more carries per game. In the Cavaliers’ losses, he never had more than 13 carries. Miami’s pass defense is scary good, but they can be beat on the ground. Giving the ball to Ellis early to establish some rhythm can free up the pass game. Bryce Perkins’ running game will also benefit from high productivity from Ellis, because defenses struggle with the dual threat attack.
Keys to the game
Play a strong first half
The Cavaliers have consistently put up a good battle in the second half, but they have gotten off to some slow starts this season. In their two losses this year, the Cavaliers trailed at half time - against N.C. State by ten and against Indiana by eleven. Against Miami, Virginia won’t be able to afford to fall into a large halftime deficit. The Hurricanes can quickly pile on points, as seen in their 77-0 win over Savannah State and the fact that they were down 20 points to Florida State late in the third quarter before putting 21 unanswered points on the board. So, the Cavaliers need to keep Miami’s momentum from building quickly by establishing an offensive rhythm early and by coming out sharp and clean on defense from the start. Otherwise, the Hurricanes may get off to a lead that is too big to overcome.
Get to the quarterback
Against N.C. State, this was one of the keys to the game, and the Cavaliers did not deliver. Mendenhall said bluntly after the N.C. State game, “We kind of pride ourselves on being able to hit the quarterback, and we didn’t.” Senior quarterback Ryan Finley dominated Virginia, comfortably picking apart the Cavaliers’ secondary with tons of time in the pocket. This is not an easy correction to make against another strong offensive line, but Virginia needs to step up and get to the quarterback to stymie Miami’s offense. Miami quarterback N’Kosi Perry is good, but he’s a freshman. Perry led a historic 20-point comeback against Florida State last week, throwing for four touchdowns, but displayed some inconsistency. He is the key to the Hurricanes’ offense, and if Virginia can sack him early and often, the pressure of an ACC away game might get to him. Cook looks like he’s coming back, and along with linebackers Charles Snowden, Chris Peace and Zane Zandier, and with defensive linemen like Eli Hanback and Richard Burney, the Cavaliers have the players to make it happen.
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