Takeaways From Miami’s 20-14 Win Over Virginia Tech
The Miami Hurricanes finally got back into the win column against the Virginia Tech Hokies and got their first conference win of the year.
The First half indicated that Miami would dominate the game from start to finish, but fell off mightily in the second half as they only scored a field goal in the third quarter. The Canes also had to fight off a Hokie comeback in the fourth quarter that made the game 20-14.
The Canes did well in a lot of ways offensively and defensively, but staying consistent and being disciplined was the prime reason the game ended as close as it did. Here are some main takeaways from the Canes’ first conference win.
Miami Committed Too Many Penalties
Head coach Mario Cristobal stated post-game that Miami entered the game as the least penalized team in the conference but left the game with “a ton” of penalties. Cristobal was not wrong as Miami had 17 penalties for 159 yards. Miami committed five penalties for 54 yards in the second quarter and had six penalties for 65 yards in the fourth quarter. VT had six penalties for 56 yards for the entire game.
There’s no doubt the Canes were held back by a lack of discipline and it showed up in how many penalties they committed. Considering the previous season-high in penalties committed was seven (twice), it would be surprising to see Miami begin a trend of playing severely undisciplined like they did on Saturday.
Tyler Van Dyke Had Another Good Game, But Once Again The Run Game Suffered
Is this becoming a trend for Miami? Against North Carolina, Tyler Van Dyke lit up the stat sheet with a career-high 496 passing yards while completing 73.7% of his passes and three touchdowns.
In return, Miami ran the ball 24 times for 42 yards and no touchdowns. This weekend, Van Dyke threw for 351 yards, while completing 63% of his passes and two touchdowns, while Miami ran the ball 28 times for 107 yards.
The emergence of Colbie Young and Frank Ladson Jr. is crucial for a team that's battling injuries at wide receiver. But, Miami can't continue to be one-dimensional offensively. The run game has looked nothing like it once did during the first three games of the year.
But even then, Miami hasn’t had a “home run” play all season from the run game. The longest run for Miami on the year is 26 yards. The Hurricanes might want to try and get more creative in the run game just as they seemingly have through the air.
Akheem Mesidor Had His First “Gamewrecker” Moment as a Hurricane
Following Akheem Mesidor’s commitment to Miami, big expectations followed him from Morgantown (W. Va). For the first four (missed Southern Miss. game due to injury) games of the year, Mesidor was more or less a solid run-stopper as his presence as a pass-rusher had yet to be established. Against Virginia Tech, Mesidor’s 3.5 sacks were pivotal in holding the Hokies scoreless through three quarters.
In addition to getting to the quarterback, Mesidor was in the face of opposing ball carriers all afternoon as he led the team in tackles with eight. Miami has had individual flashes from many on the defensive front, but none have played at the level Mesidor did against VT. Perhaps, Mesidor could be the first and it couldn’t have come at a better time for Miami as they’re now in full swing of the conference slate.
The Defense Had a Better Game as a Collective
Despite giving up 14 points in the fourth quarter, Miami played a strong game defensively. The Hurricanes gave up 179 yards through the air and kept the Hokies’ best playmaker out of the game. D.J Ivey was the main cover corner on Kaleb Smith, VT’s leading wide receiver. He finished with three catches for 26 yards. Ivey also forced a fumble on the first Hokies' drive that set up an eventual score.
Up front, Miami held the Hokies to 78 yards on the ground while averaging 2.6 yards per carry. Miami also racked up six sacks and seven tackles for loss. Despite some mental lapses in the fourth quarter, Miami’s defense on third down (4-15) was a major reason they kept the Hokies out of the game for so long.
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