Miami Hurricanes Football: Duke Johnson Rushes for 249 Yards; Miami Destroys Virginia Tech, 30-6

We had to wait 12 days for a Miami Hurricanes game and this game made that wait so worth it. The Hurricanes absolutely destroyed the Virginia Tech Hokies in front of a sell-out crowd in Blacksburg. We heard all week how crazy Blacksburg was going to be on a Thursday night and how Frank Beamer is known for games like these. In the words of Chad Thomas: “Yea?”

The ACC Coastal Division is the weirdest thing to understand in college football and I’m not going to explain it, because I don’t understand it myself. What I do know, however, is that this game was crucial for both Miami and Virginia Tech to keep their hopes alive to play in the ACC Championship Game. Miami took a step forward in reaching there with a dominating 30-6 win over the Hokies.

The game started off like it usually does in Lane Stadium, with a spine-chilling introduction led by Enter Sandman. If you want me to be honest, even I jumped up-and-down in my room while they showed the intro.

After that, it was Enter Duke Johnson.

Fans had been advocating offensive coordinator James Coley to hand the ball off to Duke Johnson more and those people got their wish and probably more than they wanted to see. Johnson ran for a career-high 249 yards on 29 carries and he added 2 receptions for 37 yards and 2 total touchdown (1 rushing, 1 receiving.) That’s 286 total yards for Duke. After games like these, the only other person that should be allowed to wear number 8 around college football is Carter Hucks.

Virginia Tech had no answer for Duke Johnson, but they also had no answer against the Miami defense. Yes, you read that right.

Michael Brewer and the Hokies had 36 total yards in the first half and had -13 (!!!) yards on the ground. Coming into the game, we knew the Virginia Tech offense was pretty bad, but let’s give some credit to the defense because they made some huge plays.

After taking a 24-0 lead into the half, the Canes needed to hold on for 24 more minutes to pick up a crucial ACC win. The first drive started with something we’ve seen a lot of: a running back going right down the defenses’ throat. Marshawn Williams, who finished the game with 100 yards on 21 carries, was finding his groove on the first offensive drive of the second half for the Hokies. That was until he met Deon Bush at the goal-line. Bush made a great stop in the gap, and it didn’t stop there. The junior safety stripped the ball right out of Williams’ hands and stopped the Hokies drive right at the 1-yard line. As good as Duke Johnson and the offense were, that might’ve been the biggest play of the game.

Miami fell to capitalize on offense on the ensuing drive, but Brad Kaaya threw a perfect ball to Phillip Dorsett after he had beaten his defender and it could’ve easily been good for 98 yards and a touchdown.

Kaaya didn’t have to do much tonight and finished the game 7/16 for 92 yards and a touchdown. Positive? First road game that he doesn’t turn the ball over in his career.

The Deon Bush forced fumble and recovery was just one of the THREE fumbles forced by the Miami defense in the third quarter. The second one came right after the Bush play. This time it was Tracy Howard who forced the fumble on Joel Caleb and Jermaine Grace recovered his first of two fumbles on the night.

Next drive? Another fumble. This time, The President struck.

Denzel Perryman was a force all game long and made his biggest impact on a Jerome Wright run. Wright had finished up picking up the first down for the Hokies, but he found the 6’0” 245 pound wall waiting for him in the hole. Perryman laid a thunderous tackle on Wright and popped the ball loose. Jermaine Grace jumped on the fumble and the Miami Hurricanes defense started the second half with three consecutive drives forcing a turnover. That’s the Miami defense everyone wants to see.

Despite all that, the Miami offense couldn’t put any points on the board, but it kept Virginia Tech’s offense off the field and the once sold-out crowd, well, wasn’t sold-out anymore.

Duke Johnson wasn’t the only Hurricanes running back that the Hokies had time stopping. Gus Edwards also had a big game and in the fourth quarter, he found the end zone for the second time with a 38-yard run and it gave the Miami Hurricanes a 30-0 lead, after a blocked extra-point.

Edwards ran for 115 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. A really nice game for Gus Edwards, who has taken a lot of criticism this season. Joseph Yearby is usually the guy backing up Duke Johnson, but he was held out for this one with a tweaked hamstring.

About the only thing that went wrong for Miami was the last drive of the game where Virginia Tech ruined the shut out (sad face) and found the end zone. Backup quarterback Mark Leal hit Isaiah Ford for 14-yards on a 4th and 10 with 1:30 left to play in the game. After a failed two-point conversion, that was the final score of the game and the Hurricanes walked out of Lane Stadium victorious for the first time since 2005.

We still don’t know what to expect from the ‘Canes on a weekly basis, but let’s all enjoy this one. It’s not an easy place to go in and destroy Virginia Tech and Miami did just that; they made it look easy.

The Hurricanes are back in action on Saturday, November 1st for their homecoming game against North Carolina. It’s also the game where Jim Kelly is an honorary captain and will be honored. Tickets are cheap and the stadium should be filled to pay honor to number 12.

It hasn’t been an easy season so please enjoy this one.