2010 Virginia Tech Hokies: Va. Tech @ Miami (FL)

The Virginia Tech Hokies can smell the finish line in the ACC Coastal Division. The ACC's most consistent program in recent years will try to nail down a title in the tropics.

The Hokies are simply a team that can be trusted in the pervasively wacky and unpredictable ACC. While North Carolina State, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and – yes – Miami all vacillate wildly between very good and very bad at times, Virginia Tech has been a beacon of consistency. The Hokies are gunning for their fourth Coastal Division title in the six years that the ACC has used a divisional setup. Coach Frank Beamer’s team is trying to lock down its third division flag in four seasons. Moreover, with Virginia being the Hokies’ final regularly-scheduled opponent on Nov. 27, a win in this game against Miami would very likely bring about a perfect 8-0 record for Virginia Tech in ACC play, not counting the ACC title game in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Dec. 4.

This team has rebounded magnificently since losing its first two games of the season. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is showing first-rate senior leadership, and coordinator Bud Foster’s defense smothered North Carolina over the final three quarters of last Saturday’s 26-10 win against the Tar Heels. Virginia Tech shut out Carolina in the game’s final 42 minutes, proving itself on the road against a quality opponent. There’s no reason to think Virginia Tech can’t win one more road game in the ACC against a decent but less-than-airtight team such as Miami. The Hurricanes now have a quarterback controversy, as Stephen Morris is in the process of taking the job from the injured Jacory Harris, who won’t return to the lineup this weekend. Virginia Tech is proven and stable, while the same thing can’t necessarily be said for Miami.

Yet, for all the doom and gloom which might befall the Hurricanes in this contest, there’s also the possibility that change and upheaval will produce a pleasantly transformed identity and a winning mentality for Miami.

> Check out our great selection of Virginia Tech Apparel & Merchandise!

When Harris did indeed suffer a concussion a few weeks ago against Virginia, it initially appeared that the Hurricanes were going to be worse off as a result. However, in Miami’s 35-10 win at Georgia Tech this past Saturday; Mr. Morris looked like the real thing under center. Morris made good decisions and reads, and when Georgia Tech pulled within four points of the Canes early in the third quarter, Morris responded with a 79-yard touchdown pass to receiver Leonard Hankerson. The play came at just the right time, and it enabled Miami to pull away on the road. Morris did not throw an interception against Georgia Tech, an indicator that he might be able to display better ball security than Harris. If Miami finds a quarterback who can combine arm strength with wisdom and a cool head, the Hurricanes will become the complete team they’ve always wanted to be.

What also needs to be said here is that Morris is a player whom Virginia Tech can’t study too much; there’s not a lot of game film available aside from the last two weeks against Georgia Tech and Maryland. This matchup could be likened to a baseball game in which an unknown pitcher baffles a powerful batting order in his big-league debut, simply because the hitters don’t know what to expect. If Morris confuses Tech’s defense, it won’t matter that the Hokies will have the goods on him next year; the damage will already be done, and the Hurricanes will win in the 2010 get-together between these big-name divisional rivals.

Virginia Tech might not have much film on Morris, but the flip side of that equation is that Morris hasn’t gone up against a Bud Foster-coached defense. This very intriguing game-within-the-game will almost certainly determine if Virginia Tech seals its fourth division title as a member of the ACC.

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Miami Hurricanes Football Preview